Crimson Fields
by 0utfoxed
Summary: Cloud is missing. Three members of Avalanche are on the run for their lives, and the rest are caught in a frantic race to uncover the truth before they, too, fall prey to the sinister forces that are threatening to tear Midgar apart.
1. Awake

_"Kill one man,  
and you become a murderer.  
Kill millions, a conquerer.  
Kill them all, a god."_  
-Jean Rostand

**Final Fantasy VII  
Crimson Fields**

**Chapter I  
Awake**

* * *

Bright light humming. Fluorescent angel in the sky, watching over me. Voices. World's moving too fast..

"_Alive, but barely.."_

"_...got here just in time. Any longer and we would have lost.."_

Blackout.

"_..in the land of no return..."_

Pain all over. Scars? Burns? Can't sense anything. Can't see..

"_...the one that bears it.."_

Try to blink. Right eye won't open. Blocked, bandaged.

..Lost?

"_...worse than anything your worn sanity could conjure up.."_

Try to move. Hurts. Move anyway. Sit up. Look around.

A bed. White sheets. Tiled floor. Gurneys, curtains, machinery. The faint smell of anti-septics. A hospital?

"_A pandemic, virulent and destructive. A true Hell on earth.."_

Voices still ringing in my ears. But there's no-one around. How long have I been here? Can't think. Head hurts. Need to get out.

Body doesn't respond. Feel slow, like walking underwater. Drugged?

Get up. Out of bed. Floor's cold.

"_...like nothing you've ever seen. 'Nightmare' won't begin to describe it.."_

Lean against wall. Look up. Corridors that go on forever. Shadows in the shapes of people.

Someone calling me.

Escape.


	2. The Trail

"_Makes you wonder if our struggles amount to anything at all.."_  
-Red XIII

**Final Fantasy VII  
Crimson Fields**

**Chapter II  
The Trail**

* * *

_It was all going so well. Our moment of triumph, snatched from our hands in an instant. We weren't cautious enough. We celebrated too soon. We let our guard up. And then the world came crashing down._

_So did we._

_The last thing I remember is fires on the shore, debris raining down into the ocean, lights in the distance, and the need to run away._

_Something's coming._

* * *

"Miss Lockheart?"

The Doctor's voice brought Tifa back from her world of thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I'm Doctor Groves. Would you come with me, please?"

Tifa Lockheart got up from the waiting room chair she had occupied for the past half-hour, and followed the Doctor as he led her through the hospital's winding corridors. As they passed the reception desk, she thought she could see red spots on the floor, concealed by a mop and bucket.

"_Blood?" _she thought.

After a few minutes, they arrived at a small office, into which Dr. Groves ushered her.

"Please, take a seat."

The Doctor gestured towards the two empty chairs opposite his desk.

"I came as soon as I could," Tifa said, sitting down. "You said a friend of mine was injured?"

"Yes. She was admitted here about two days ago..." the Doctor replied, holding up a patient file. "A miss Kisaragi, I believe it was."

"Yuffie?" Tifa asked, puzzled. "What was she doing here?"

"She wandered into Junon, half-delirious, a few days ago," Dr. Groves told her. "She was pretty badly injured."

Tifa fidgeted in her seat, uncertain of how to take the news. Disbelief mixed with concern for her friend made it difficult for her to formulate a coherent thought. "Well, I, uh... how badly? I mean..."

"Don't worry," the Doctor assured her. "She pulled through. She suffered some lacerations and burns, as well as a few internal injuries, and nerve damage to her right eye. Nothing from which she couldn't recover, given time, but we've had to apply bandages and painkillers, and perform a couple of minor operations. But other than that, I'd say she was quite fortunate."

Tifa had by now overcome her initial surprise, and was ready to assess the situation more calmly. "What happened, exactly?"

"Well... when we first found her, she was in much worse shape," Groves explained. "Her heart stopped a couple of times, but luckily we were able to respond in time. It's a miracle she made it into town, though, with injuries like that.."

"Injuries from what?"

"We're not sure. We suspect she might have been in some sort of vehicular accident. Her wounds were consistent with injuries sustained during such events. The local police are searching the area just outside Junon, but so far they've found no wreckage of any kind.."

"Can I see her?" Tifa asked.

Doctor Groves sighed, folding his hands. "I'm afraid that's impossible."

"What? Why?" Tifa demanded.

"She escaped from the hospital last night," Groves replied, flustered. Clearly, the man was embarrased by the slip in his hospital's security.

"...Why would she do that?" Tifa asked, puzzled.

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell _us," _Dr. Groves said.

"I..." Tifa began, puzzled. "I wouldn't know anything about that. Last I heard, she was still in Wutai. I have no idea what she was doing out here.."

"I see.." the Doctor sighed. "Well, in any case, she can't have gone far. But I'd like you to stay in touch with us. Just in case."

"All right," Tifa agreed.

"Oh, and there's one more thing," Doctor Groves said. "Would you follow me, please?"

Doctor Groves led Tifa further into the hospital, through the patient wards, to Yuffie's room.

"She didn't have much with her," the Doctor said. "It seems that most of her possessions were destroyed in the fire. But she did have this."

Groves handed Tifa a silver key on a simple keychain. "It had your name on it," he explained.

Tifa turned the key around. Her name and address, alongside some other things, were engraved in fine print. Among the last letters printed was the number 707, and the letters "C.F."

"Those letters mean anything to you?" the Doctor asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Tifa replied, holding the key up to the light.

* * *

_Later that day. Midgar._

It rained torrents from the somber sky as the cab pulled up to the hotel building. Tifa exited the vehicle and quickly made her way towards the entrance. Inside, the unmistakable bulk of one Barret Wallace and the crimson countenance of Nanaki, Red XIII.

"Hey, guys. Sorry about the short notice," Tifa apologized.

"Not a problem," Barret replied. "So what's this all about?"

"We're about to find out," Tifa said, key in hand.

Among the things listed on the key that Tifa recognized was the name of a famous hotel in New Midgar, Crescent Falls. Having deducted that the key must lead to either one of the rooms, or perhaps a rented safe, Tifa decided to gather what Avalanche members she could and begin her search there.

The three walked across the wide reception hall, Nanaki and Barret hurrying to catch up with Tifa.

"Find out about what?" Nanaki inquired.

"Yuffie was hospitalized in Junon the other day," Tifa explained.

Barret snorted. "Why am I not surprised? Little brat finally got herself into more trouble than she could handle.."

"Barret, this is serious," Tifa replied. "A couple of days after she was admitted, she went missing. I think someone might be after her."

"Wait, so why the hell ain't we in Junon looking for her right now?" Barret asked.

"Think about it, Barret," Tifa said. "She's a trained ninja. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be. I know she can be a brat sometimes, but she knows how to handle herself."

"But.." Nanaki interjected.

Tifa stopped, cutting him off before he could say anything more. "Look, I want to find her as much as you guys, believe me. But right now, I think this might be our best chance," she said, holding up the key in her hand. "Someone left a trail for us. If we follow it, we'll find the answers we're looking for."

"Awright, if you say so.." Barret replied.

The three continued towards the reception area, where one of the hotel's staff members greeted them. "Welcome to Crescent Falls. How may I help you?"

The young girl looked ever the representative of hotel management values: Compact good looks and a competent, helpful manner. The tag on her outfit said 'Natalia'.

Tifa, saying nothing, slid the key across the desk. A professional smile flickered across the young receptionist's face. "Just a moment," she said, taking the key, then heading towards the back of the reception area.

As the three stood at the desk, waiting, a violent tremor suddenly surged through the building, leaving them momentarily shaken. The hotel's other occupants were similarly thrown off balance, though the earthquake quickly abated, allowing them to regain their composure.

"Another one..?" Barret said.

"That makes three today." Nanaki replied.

Before Tifa could say anything, the clerk returned. "A friend of yours left something with us. Here you are," the clerk said, handing Tifa a small metal box. "Will there be anything else?"

"No. Thanks," Tifa replied. As soon as the clerk had departed, she worked the key into the box's lock. A perfect match. Inside, another key, this one bearing the insignia of a local train station.

"...The hell does all this mean?" Barret asked.

"We're not going to find out standing here," Tifa replied. "Come on. I know this station. It's close by."

"Like some goddamn treasure hunt... Do I look five to you?" Barret grumbled as the three exited the hotel.

* * *

The three passed through the streets of New Midgar, crossing slums and alleys, passing through and occasionally merging with the crowds as they filtered through the city in every which direction. The wealthier areas lay close to the poorer districts, though they were largely sectioned off from one another, hence their detour.

The rain had subsided, though the streets of the older, shelled out districts remained as grimy as ever, as though nothing would wash away the filth. As the three moved through the narrow streets of the slums, they could feel the stares. The wary gaze of the residents, the hollow eyes of the junkies and the homeless, staggering around in dirty blankets and unwashed clothes. The curious looks of street urchins and orphans as they passed them by. A city that might as well be a tomb.

"Man... It's ugly," Barret said, shaking his head. "Worse than I thought it would be.."

"After all we've done, the world's still falling apart," Nanaki replied. "Makes you wonder if our struggles amount to anything at all.." Nanaki said.

"You really wonder about that?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, I do." Nanaki replied. "Sometimes I honestly believe Meteor would have been a mercy killing."

"You don't mean that," Tifa said, stopping for a moment. "Struggles mean something, Red. Fighting for the right cause has never been easy, but it's always counted for something."

"Doesn't always seem that way," Barret said, taking Nanaki's side.

Tifa looked down towards the ground, eyeing her reflection in the murky pool of water. "Whenever I start to think that way, I always remind myself of something Zangan used to tell me," she said, looking up into her friends' eyes. "'You can either resist the temptation of falling into despair, keep fighting for what's right, try to stave off what's coming, or you can let yourself fall right in. Stop caring about whether the worst could happen. And if you ever give up, it will'. Simple as that."

"I never thought of it that way," Nanaki admitted.

"Yeah... same here." Barret agreed.

"Well... here we are," Tifa said, turning towards the station. "Let's see what's waiting for us."

"Let's just hope it's not a mailbomb or some shit.." Barret commented. "I ain't in the mood for no surprises today."

* * *

The key slid in, and the locker door opened, revealing a plain cardboard package. Tifa reached in for it, quickly tearing the package open. The box was empty, save for a tiny black shape. A phone. Underneath that, a letter. Tifa extracted the letter from the box. It read:

"_To whom it may concern,_

_I had hoped that it would not come to this. What we were doing was meant to be secret. We did this to ensure everyone else's safety. We didn't want anyone else to get involved. It was supposed to be just Cid, Vincent and me, but she caught wind of it._

_I just hope everyone else is safe._

_But if you're reading this, it might well be that no-one is safe anymore. Crimson Fields may soon be a reality._

_If so, I wish you luck._

-Cloud Strife

P.S.

_The numbers will show you the way."_

"What does it say?" Nanaki asked.

Tifa handed the letter to Nanaki and Barret while she reached for the phone. A few numbers were listed in the registry, though no names were attached to them. She picked one at random, letting it ring out for a while. No answer. She picked another, and another. Same nothing. On her sixth number, as she was about to give up, a voice came on the other end.

"...Hello?"

"Hello...who is this?" she asked.

"Tifa, is that you?"

"Vincent?"

"Yes, it's me. Where are you?"

Vincent's voice indeed sounded familiar, if raspy, as though he were having trouble breathing.

"New Midgar," Tifa replied. "Where are _you_?"

"I'd tell you, but... truth be told, I'm not really sure."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What's going on, Vincent? Where _is_ everyone?"

She could hear Vincent clearing his throat on the other end. "Cloud is dead," he told her. "Cid and Yuffie are missing. Reeve is... I don't know what happened to him. Last time I saw him, things didn't look good..."

A brief coughing fit interrupted Vincent's explanation. "I'm afraid our numbers are thinning.." he finished.

Tifa just stood there for a moment, in stunned silence. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Dead...?" she asked, barely able to breathe. "That can't.."

"Shot through the head," Vincent told her. "I saw it with my own eyes."

She fell up against the locker array, all strength completely draining from her body.

"No.."

"I'm sorry. I..."

Another tremor, this one far more violent than any they had previously experienced. All three of them, as well as the station's other inhabitants, were forced to their knees as the earth shook, causing Tifa to drop the phone. As the quake subsided, she hurried over to where it lay on the floor and picked it up again.

"...re you okay?" the voice on the other end asked. "I lost you there for a moment."

"Yeah, we're fine," Tifa said. "Just another earthquake. They've been getting worse lately."

"Wait... did you say earthquake?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, why?" Tifa replied, puzzled.

"Tifa..." Vincent warned her. "Get out of Midgar, _now_."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

The Crimson Fields is an experiment in style and frame narrative. The first few chapters will take place close to the end, and then the rest of the story will circle back to the beginning, eventually leading back to its fateful final hours, hence the somewhat strange opening. I wanted to try to give things a sense of urgency, but also to endow some of the earlier events in the story with a certain sense of inevitability, through the foreknowledge that these early chapters bestow. Hope you enjoy it. More chapters will follow soon.


	3. Collapse

_M: Ben Karlstrom / Pink Floyd – 'Hey you'_

"_This ain't no damn coincidence.."  
_-Barret Wallace

**Final Fantasy VII  
****Crimson Fields**

**Chapter III  
****Collapse**

* * *

**Junon General Hospital  
****Night before the Collapse**

Night shift again, but May didn't mind. For the most part, it was fairly quiet, which gave her time to think and, on occasion, even relax. Most people would have found it a lonely job, taking care of the reception desk at night, but it was calming to her. Aside from medical emergencies or having to deal with the occasional crazy, she could do her work in peace. Tonight was one of those times. She sat at her usual spot, tapping away at the keys of the hospital's hopelessly outdated computer, not focusing on anything in particular.

"Pardon me, miss," a voice came, interrupting her reverie.

May looked up to see a man standing over her. The stranger was well-dressed, albeit in a rather archaic manner. He wore a heavy black frock coat and ivory-white gloves, as well as a tall hat whose shadows kept his face from close scrutiny. The whole effect of the stranger's demeanor was like that of someone's grotesque caricature of a pall-bearer, or a stage magician. The smile on his face was at once kindly, inquisitive and yet strangely overbearing.

"I believe a lady friend of mine was admitted here not long ago," he continued. "I should like to see her, please."

The stranger spoke in a deep, rich baritone voice, but there was something off about it. A strangled, gurgling sound, emanating from deep within his body. There was something wrong about the man's face, too, as though it were coming apart at the seams. A thick, greying beard and sideburns did little to conceal his face's grave pallor.

May hesitated a closer look at the man's face, but quickly turned her gaze away again as she noticed his discoloured eyes. The sight of the milky, dilapidated texture of their membranes made her sick to her stomach. She tried her best to hide her reaction, but she was certain that the stranger had seen an indication of it, however subtly it have been betrayed by her face.

"I...I'm sorry," she stuttered, put off by the stranger's unsettling appearance. "Visiting hours are over."

The stranger made no sign of leaving. Not even a change of expression came across his face. May, in an attempt not to offend the visitor, turned her attention towards the patient list on her computer. "Uh, but if you like, I can schedule a visit for tomorr.."

She never saw the stranger sidling up behind her, the hand on her shoulder, the knife blade sliding across her neck in one swift, clean movement.

"No need to trouble yourself, my dear," the stranger said, as the crimson essence drained from her body, staining the desk, dripping into a pool on the floor. "I'll let myself in."

The stranger shoved the body aside, letting it drop unceremoniously to the floor. He leaned over the database displayed on the screen, tapped a few keys, smiled knowingly. "Kisaragi... D wing."

Silent as a ghost, the stranger slid through the hospital's corridors. Moments later, he found himself at the door listed in the patient files. He gripped the knife firmly in his hand, its blade still stained with fresh blood. His whole body tensed, burning with anticipation of the next kill. In one swift movement, he flung the door open and dashed into the room, his knife gleaming in the cold night.

All the lights were still on, but the room was empty. Clearly, someone had just departed in a hurry, as evidenced by the way the room's contents were strewn about. Disappointed, the stranger let the knife fall to his side.

"Run, rabbit, run," he said. "I'll find you soon enough."

Two other men, soldiers by their appearance, filtered into the room behind the man in black. "She's still somewhere in the city," he addressed them. "Find her. Bring her to me."

"Alive, if you please," he added as they left the room.

* * *

**Midgar Central Station  
****Day of the Collapse**

"Get out of Midgar, _now_."

"What?" Tifa asked. "Why?"

"It all began about two weeks ago", Vincent told her. "I don't have time to explain. You have to get out right now. I'll contact you again soon."

"Wait, I..." Tifa said, her mind still reeling from the news.

"...It's starting." Vincent said. Then the line went dead. An aftershock rolled through the station, as if to underline Vincent's warning.

"That was Vincent," Tifa told the others. "He says we have to leave Midgar right away. Didn't say why."

"Hell, I'd say that's sounding like a pretty good idea right about now," Barret replied, looking around the station. "That last one was pretty bad."

"All right," Nanaki said. "Let's get out of here. We can discuss all of this once we're outside the city."

"Wait, I ain't leavin' without Marlene." Barret said, stopping the other two as they started off. "I left her at school. I know it's a long way, but.."

"I thought you moved away from Midgar already," Tifa said.

"Yeah, well.. I been so busy with rebuildin' down south, I had to leave her in a friend's care for awhile," Barret replied, trailing off. The tall, bulky man indeed seemed quite tired, upon close inspection. No doubt he had been working hard around the clock to help improve the situation in the world, even if that meant giving up precious time with his adopted daughter.

"I understand. We'll head for the school building first," Tifa said.

"Thanks," Barret replied.

The sun was starting to sink beneath the horizon by the time they reached the Hope Meadows school building. It had taken them longer than they had initially expected, due to the tremors and their effect on the city's traffic, which had largely come to a standstill in the past few hours.

The yard which served as the school's playground was deserted, its see-saws and castles painted a soft crimson by the setting sun. As the three crossed through the playground, they could see that no lights were on in the building itself.

"Barret, what time do the kids go to sleep?" Tifa asked.

"Not this early.." Barret replied, first quickening his step, then breaking out into a run. Nanaki and Tifa ran after him as he charged into the building, running up the stairs to the children's bedrooms.

"Marlene!" he shouted. "Beryl! Denzel! Anyone!"

Tifa and Nanaki paused to catch their breath as they caught up with him.

"Where is everyone?" Nanaki asked, still panting.

"The whole building's empty," Tifa said.

"They're not here.." Barret said, fuming with rage. "God-damnit!"

The burly man smashed the nearest wall with his gun-arm, the blow leaving a deep crack.

"Calm down, Barret.." Tifa tried to soothe him. "Maybe someone evacuated the building. You know, because of the earthquakes."

Barret seemed to calm down at her suggestion, if only a little. She placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to keep calm.

"Guys..." Nanaki said, his voice coming from the next room. "You might want to take a look at this.."

Tifa and Barret headed over into the next room, where their comrade was standing over something. A trail of blood led from the doorway to a tattered figure laying on the floor. A woman's body, flensed with knife-wounds.

"Gods..." Tifa uttered, holding a hand up to her face. "Who is that?"

"Miss Beryl..." Barret said. "One of the teachers."

Tifa eyed the tall man. He was no longer in a blind rage, but he was clearly burning up on the inside, his fist clenching and unclenching rapidly.

"This ain't no damn co-incidence.." he uttered.

"You're right," a voice came from behind them. "It's not."

The three of them looked up to see someone walking out of the dusk of the room's corner.

"Who's there?" Barret demanded, raising his gun-arm. Tifa and Nanaki similarly braced themselves, taking up a defensive stance, as the figure emerged from the shadows..

* * *

**Night before the Collapse  
****Streets of Junon**

The figure in the alleyway retched again. This was the third time tonight she'd felt like throwing up.

"_This isn't natural,"_ she thought. _"Am I infected? Gods... it can't be.."_

Yuffie Kisaragi forced herself back to her feet. Still woozy from the painkillers, she struggled to move through the winding corridors and alleys of the city, taking the darker roads and corners to avoid detection.

Another coughing fit. Despite her brief hospitalization, her condition seemed to be getting worse. She shivered, bundling up her thin hospital gown as she passed another group of homeless people warming themselves by the fire of an old oil drum stuffed with burning trash. The night seemed to be growing colder by the minute.

As she turned the corner, she eyed a nearby boutique, filled with all manner of clothing and accessories. Tempting...but risky.

"_The hell with it,"_ the young ninja thought. _"I'm not getting far wearing this,"_ she decided, moving up to the building. A simple matter of letting herself in, borrowing a few articles, and leaving again. What could be the harm in that?

A few minutes later, she had bypassed the store's simple security system, and was busy dressing herself. It was hard to tell the actual articles of clothing apart in the dark, but this wasn't the time to be picky. As she finished up, she took a moment to examine herself in the closest mirror.

She looked more pale than her usual self, but that was to be expected. Gone was the usual, ebullient demeanor that she exhibited, set aside for the time being, due to the grave nature of her situation.

"_You'd stay with me? Forever and ever?"_

"_Yeah.."_

The clothing she had picked out seemed to suit her well enough, though it consisted of more greys and darks than her usual attire. But that didn't concern her. What was really on her mind was the physical damage. She hadn't had a chance to examine her wounds since she had escaped from the hospital. She held a hand up to the bandages on her head, tightly wound around her right eye. She wondered how bad the damage was underneath..

"_Even if I'm horribly disfigured in some tragic accident? Even if I lose an eye, and it's dangling by the nerve from its socket? Gross.."_

"_You know I would."_

Her brief moment of peace was disrupted by the sound of police sirens outside the shop. Being a city originally built around an army compound, there was only one kind of police in Junon, military police. And they didn't take kindly to thieves.

The thought of running away crossed her mind first, but was quickly discarded as she noticed both entrances were already covered by heavy-set police officers. In her weakened state and unarmed, she wouldn't stand much of a chance against trained soldiers. There was only one thing for it..

The two officers burst into the shop, simultaneously taking both doors. Waving their flashlights around the empty store, they began checking the corners and other potential hiding places.

Yuffie watched the two of them from her vantage point up above. Hanging horizontally from the pipes in the ceiling would test anyone's endurance, but staying quiet during the ordeal was the true test of will. She was already sweating profusely, and something as small as a bead of sweat falling onto the floor might give away her position.

Fortunately, she had passed such tests before with flying colours, and she managed to keep herself aloft, unnoticed, as the cops scoured the shop for burglars. Satisfied that it was merely a false alarm, they finally exited the building. Yuffie waited a few moments longer, until she was certain they were a good distance away, before she finally let go, dropping to the floor. It was a compliment to her training that even in her enervated state, she still made little to no sound as she landed.

Moments later, she was back on the street, making her way through the alleys, looking for a safe place to hide. More police patrols passed by on the streets parallel to her, but she managed to stay hidden, sliding from one shadow to the next with little effort.

Finally, she reached what seemed to be a dead end, save for the fire escape trailing down to the alley she was in. Ascending the metal staircase, she made her way up to the rooftop where she finally collapsed, exhausted.

Despite the ubiquitous lights of the busy city, the stars were out, burning brightly in the black sky. For a while, she simply lay there, eyes turned skyward, catching her breath, enveloped in the cold night.

She had survived so far, but there was oddly little comfort in knowing that she done so. It might already be too late for Midgar. And what of the rest of the world? What of her friends? Cid, Vincent, Cloud..

_Cloud._

"You're still alive, aren't you?" she whispered, watching the night sky. "I know you are."

With effort, she turned sideways, forcing herself up into a sitting position. "You have to be," she said.

Though she tried to console herself and win back her resolve with comforting words, part of her feared that she was simply denying reality, refusing to look it in the face. The once invincible Avalanche, scattered to the four winds, defeated. An impossible thing, unthinkable. And yet, it was slowly a dawning reality.

"_What the hell happened to us?" _she thought, turning her gaze towards the stars once more. _"How did the world fall apart in just two weeks?"_

* * *

**Day of the Collapse  
****Hope Meadows, Midgar**

"Reno?"

The former Turk emerged from the shadows, looking more haggard and disheveled than his usual self. But beyond his physical aspect, there was something different about his face. He bore a haunted look, like that of a man far out of his depth.

"What are you doing here?" Tifa asked.

"Following up on a lead," Reno replied. "But it looks like I was too late," he said, indicating the body of Miss Beryl.

"You knew about this?" Barret asked, cocking his brow. His weapon remained squarely aimed at the former Turk's head.

"We don't have time for explanations," Reno said. "Not here. Something bad is about to go down in Midgar."

"Define 'bad'," Tifa said, crossing her arms.

"Horror, okay?" Reno said, looking her directly in the eye. "Pure fucking terror. Trust me, you _don't_ want to be here when it goes down."

Seeing that his former rivals were less than inclined to take him at his word, Reno moved in closer, hands held aloft to show that he meant them no harm. "Look, I know we don't exactly have the best working relationship, but you're going to have to trust me," he said. "In any case, I could use your help."

"What about the children?" Nanaki asked, looking the room over.

"They're gone," Reno replied. "You won't find them here in Midgar. I'm thinking they were taken as hostages."

"So, you know who's behind all this?" Tifa asked.

"I have _some_ idea," Reno said. "We can discuss it once we're out of the city. There's a chopper waiting for us at an airfield a few blocks from here."

"Awful convenient of you to be showin' up here and now," Barret said. Though he relaxed his gun-arm, he still didn't take his eye off the former Turk.

"Like you said, it ain't a coincidence," Reno replied. "Look, I'd be suspicious, too, but I'm not the enemy here. There are bigger things at stake right now. I'm offering to get you out of the city. You can take it or leave it, but you've gotta make up your mind fast."

Another tremor came, sending chalk and dust falling from the roof. The ceiling, they all noticed, looked as though it was ready to tear apart at any moment.

"Come on, Barret. We can't stay here," Tifa urged, tugging at the burly man's arm. He showed no sign or intent of moving. "Whoever took the kids, they've got enough of a head start," she reasoned, finally getting his attention.

Barret sighed. "You're right. Let's get the hell out of here.."

As they made to leave, Tifa noticed something scrawled into the floor next to the body. A message.

"_In the crimson fields I lie.."_

"In the Crimson Fields.." she said to herself, pondering what it meant.

"Hey, what's the hold-up?" Reno shouted down the hall. "We ain't got all day!"

"Coming," Tifa replied, prying herself away from the gruesome sight.

* * *

The four of them departed the building, marching towards the city's center, with Reno taking the lead. The sun was fading rapidly beneath the horizon, painting the worn city a deep and brilliant hue of red .

"I take it it's not just the four of us that are going," Tifa said, addressing Reno.

"We're evacuating the city," Reno said.

"Who's 'we'?" Barret asked. "Your old buddies from Shinra?"

"No," Reno said, "We had kind of a falling out recently."

"How so?" Nanaki asked.

"Let's just say that some of the things they were up to didn't sit right with me," Reno replied. "I haven't heard from the other Turks in a while. Not much, at least."

The four rounded the corner of one of the city's many skyscrapers, remnants of the early reconstruction efforts after the gradual collapse of Old Midgar.

"Anyway, I called in some favors, got in touch with some old contacts," Reno explained. "We don't have a lot of resources, but it's enough to get us off the ground."

As they marched on through the city, it occurred to Tifa that the disappearance of their friends might also be related to Reno's own investigation. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where Vincent is?" she asked. "Or Cid? Cloud?"

Reno gave her an odd look, as if to say the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "Not a clue," he replied. "Why?"

"They're missing," Tifa explained.

Reno shrugged, but said nothing. The four of them continued on for another block, before reaching a raised helicopter pad flanked by several tall buildings. The landing pad was lined with tandem rotor helicopters and tilt wing aircraft, and busy with people running back and forth, making hasty last-minute preparations.

Seeing the four of them arriving, one of the pilots, a military veteran by the looks of it, ran over to meet up with them.

"Reno, any luck?" the pilot asked.

Reno shook his head. "'fraid not," he replied. "It looks like I was too late."

"Who are they?" the pilot asked, eyeing Reno's entourage suspiciously.

"They're with me," Reno explained. "Everything good to go?"

The pilot nodded, accepting Reno's authority. "Yeah, we're just fuelling up the last couple of choppers," he replied. "Shouldn't be long."

"All right," Reno said, looking over at the Avalanchers accompanying him. "Let's get moving."

They continued down towards the centre of the platform, where one of the transport choppers was being prepared for take-off. Reno hauled the wide side doors open, gesturing for them to get in.

As her friends clambered inside the vehicle, Tifa took a minute to examine her surroundings once more. In the distance, she could see the old Shinra headquarters building, the fractured ruins long since reduced to a mere relic of the past. The rest of the city was better off, but not by much.

Before she boarded the chopper, she turned to Reno again, "Wait, you said you were going to explain all this," she demanded.

Reno wiped the sweat from his forehead. Evidently, he'd been busy running around the city prior to the evacuation, and the aftermath of his exertion was becoming quite visible on his features. He looked around, as though to confirm that no-one was listening in on their conversation. "Ever hear of a group called Novus?" he asked.

Tifa shook her head.

"I only heard about them recently, but.." Reno trailed off.

"From who?" Tifa asked.

"One of your friends," Reno replied. "Didn't leave a name, but I suspect it might have been Cloud. Anyway, they've been.."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of what might have been an explosion in the distance. Everyone on the platform immediately stopped what they were doing, cautiously surveying their surroundings. A few minutes passed in tense silence, but nothing else could be heard. Satisfied that they were safe for the time being, they hurried about their business, eager to leave the city behind.

Reno ushered Tifa into the spacious interior of the transport chopper as its rotors came to life, enveloping its immediate area in a powerful downdraft. Nanaki and Barret were already seated inside the otherwise empty chopper. "Strap yourself in," he told her, yelling to make himself heard over the noise of the helicopter's rotors. "This is going to be a rough ride."

The former Turk entered the cockpit, grabbing a nearby radio along the way. Tifa set about securing herself to her seat, keeping an eye on him all the while. She didn't quite trust him, but he seemed sincere enough in his intent to get them out of the city in one piece. But was it possible that some greater threat was forcing him to co-operate with them, she wondered. And if so, was this threat really as great as he made it seem?

Even with the helicopter's powerful dual rotors in full swing, she and the others could hear an all too familiar noise in the distance.

"Is that gunfire?" Nanaki asked, his ears pricking up.

Tifa and the others looked out through the small windows of the chopper. Despite their limited field of view, they could see that something was going on outside. The other workers on the platform were scurrying frantically back and forth in an effort to complete the evacuation. Below, the city was in chaos.

"Some kind of riot going on down there.." Barret said.

Peering to see through the grimy window, Tifa saw that people from the city were fleeing from something, though what, she couldn't tell. The sound of gunfire and explosions grew louder all around them as they waited. In the cockpit, Reno could be seen issuing orders through his radio, monitoring the situation as it unfolded.

As they continued to watch, they noticed something else. Uniformed soldiers were marching down the streets, firing into the crowd of people indiscriminately, forcing them away from the city's centre.

"The hell's going on..?" Barret muttered to himself.

Unbuckling her seat belt and removing her harness, Tifa exited the chopper, running down the platform to look over its edge. "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" Reno shouted after her. Just as she neared the very edge, a violent earthquake brought her to her knees.

As she struggled to raise herself to her feet, she saw the skyscrapers in front of her were falling apart, raining steel and concrete down into the city streets, burying them in impenetrable dust clouds.

"What the hell..?" Nanaki said.

"Hey, get back here!" Reno called, running after her. He noticed that she had skinned her knees during the fall, and offered to help her up. She caught hold of his arm, allowing him to pull her back up to her feet.

"Thanks," Tifa said.

The two of them were about to make their way back to their chopper when they noticed a strange new sound amid the chaos. A low moan, emanating from the debris-laden city centre. The two of them waited, gazing out over the edge of the platform.

Through the heavy dust clouds, they could see that the center of the city had cracked and given way, leaving a deep rift, through which mako was starting to leak up to the surface. But unlike its usual appearance, the pool of mako they saw was oily and red, as though infected by some malicious disease.

Something else was emerging as well. At first, they could only make out vague shapes through the settling dust, but as it cleared, they realized that they were human figures. But there was something wrong with them, too..

They moved, slowly at first, pulling themselves up out of the pit. As they took to dry land, they began to pick up speed, shambling through the streets with amazing alacrity. They charged into the crowd of people, assaulting soldier and civilian alike, with seemingly nothing but their bare hands, biting and clawing away as though possessed by demons.

The two of them looked on in disbelief and horror as the scene unfolded, unable to accept what was happening. As they finally made to flee, the city was struck by yet another earthquake, by far the worst, like the wrath of the gods themselves. The ground shook so hard it became impossible for them to stand. Several of the helicopters tilted onto their sides, smashing against the ground. Below, they could see the very centre of the city collapsing in on itself, buildings pouring into the earth's black maw like a concrete waterfall.

Finally, the earth was still, the extreme force of the quake subsiding to a low rumble. Below, the people on the ground starting to move again, trying to escape the calamity.

Tifa and Reno got back up to their feet, dusting themselves off. Reno took a moment to inhale a few deep breaths of air. "What the hell..?" he said to himself.

Tifa looked him over for a second. He had said it would be bad, but it looked like even he had underestimated the danger that they faced.

Her body tensed. She could feel the low rumbling in the ground growing stronger. "Something's coming.." she said, looking out over the destroyed city.

"Come on," she urged Reno, and the two of them headed back towards their helicopter. All around them, the other workers were busy loading the last of the choppers, lifting those that could be saved and salvaging spare parts from those that had been ruined.

As they clambered back inside the chopper, the sky was filled with a deep, blood-curdling roar. Tifa looked back over her shoulder to see an enormous creature rising from the ashes of the earth's maw. It reached out to the sky with its massive limbs, each easily the length of a skyscraper. Then it began to attack, lashing out wildly at anything that moved.

"What the fuck is that?" someone shouted.

"Fuck me.." Reno muttered. He rushed over into the cockpit, grabbing the radio. "This is Reno. The city's under attack from... I don't know what the fuck. Just get out of here, now. Everyone. Go!"

The enormous beast smashed its numerous feelers against the buildings left standing near the centre of the city, breaking many of them in half instantly, leaving the others ready to topple over at any moment. Debris rained down all around the platform. It was pure chaos.

"What the hell _is_ that?" Nanaki said, looking up at the thing that was tearing the city apart.

At that moment, the beast brought one of its arms down on the platform itself, mere inches away from their chopper, destroying half the evacuation team in one violent movement. The arm slid back slowly, reeling back in towards the monster, readying for another attack.

Reno turned over to the pilot. "Get us out of here," he yelled. "Double time!"

The pilot nodded, and the Avalanchers could feel the chopper rising up from the platform. Some of the other choppers, they noticed, were already underway.

Reno returned to the cargo area, seating himself next to Tifa, hurrying to strap himself in as well.

The creature shrieked, lashing out again with a sideways swipe, striking one of the helicopters next to them, batting it into a nearby skyscraper, killing all aboard instantly. The helicopter tore apart in a spectacular explosion, rocking their own helicopter by its shockwave. The skyscraper, too, began to crack and fall apart, unable to withstand the damage it had suffered.

They all watched as the metropolis collapsed before their very eyes. Whatever was left standing from the beast's attacks would surely be laid to ruin by the attacking forces on the ground. It was only a matter of time until Midgar was reduced to a smouldering crater.

"How can this be happening?" Tifa asked.

Reno shook his head. "I don't know.."

The former Turk looked her straight in the eye. It was clear from the look on his own face that he had something important to convey. Something that he had been holding back. "Tifa, I.." he began, but was cut off abruptly. The leviathan had raised one of its arms, towering right above their chopper, and was bringing it down again, with unprecedented speed.

"Look out!" Tifa shouted.

There was a violent, crashing sound, and then they were falling. Something had just sheared their own chopper, a neat, clean cut right through the middle, splitting it into two even halves. Tifa screamed as she struggled with her belt, struggled to break free. But already she could see the ground rushing up against her. It was all happening too fast. Too soon..

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Hope you've enjoyed the story so far. There will be more coming soon. Got questions, comments or criticisms? Leave them in a review and I'll get back to you when I can.

Also, from here on in, I'm including a small "suggested listening" section at the top of each chapter, indicated by the 'M'. These songs and pieces should help to set the mood. I can't post any links, but you guys can find these with the power of the Internets, I'm sure.


	4. Novus

_M: Harry Gregson-Williams – 'Midnight Shadow', Christopher Lennertz – 'Final Combat'_

"_...You've changed."  
_-Cloud Strife

**Final Fantasy VII  
****Crimson Fields**

**Chapter IV  
****Novus**

* * *

_Time rewound, events past fell back upon themselves, as though suddenly playing backwards. The chaos and destruction rent in our final moments gave way to the structure and order we had once known, if only to remind us of what we had lost. And for a while, all was still. The world went on, as it always had, innocent of the calamity in waiting._

_You know how this story ends. But where does it begin?_

_It's hard to say where anything truly begins. The events of the distant past sow the seeds of future conflicts, of rivalries... of love. To make sense of it all, to trace the threads of fate and see where they fall together is something that will, I think, forever be out of our reach._

_All I know how I first became involved. I suppose that's as good a place as any to start.._

* * *

**Midgar**

**Two weeks before the Collapse**

It was dusk in the black city, and the gutters were swelling up with water, supplied by the steady torrent of rain. A dreary night for most, but perfect for their intentions.

"...and he's late. _Again_."

Cid sighed, stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, rubbed his eyes wearily, then lit another one. Vincent paid little heed to the captain's complaints. His attention was entirely focused on the viewscreen in front of him.

Though the city centre was awash in neon lights, their immediate surroundings were almost entirely dark, save for the scant lighting emanating from the Blackbird's windshield. The obsidian chopper sat perched atop one of the myriad of skyscrapers of Old Midgar's new business sector, nestled between two taller buildings, virtually imperceptible in the black of night.

"Cloud'll be here soon," Vincent said. "Don't worry."

"Shit, I sure hope so," Cid replied. "This waiting's killing me."

"I can see that," Vincent said. ""Anyway, the blueprints are up. I'm working out the optimal entry route from the rooftop."

"Last minute changes?" Cid asked.

"That probably won't be necessary," Vincent replied. "But I want to go over it one more time, just to be sure."

Cid leaned back in his chair, taking a drag from his cigarette, exhaling leisurely. He watched the traffic passing down below them with a detached interest.

"...the hell kinda name is 'Cloud', anyway?" he asked suddenly, out of the blue.

"Sorry?" Vincent replied, bemused by the captain's seemingly random question. Cid had lately taken to a certain kind of offbeat musing when not busy with actual work. At first Vincent had found it an entertaining, even fascinating quirk of character, but the captain's newfound habit was gradually becoming an active distraction. He waited for a moment without answering, hoping that Cid would move on and pick another topic for conversation, or perhaps even drop the subject entirely. No such luck.

"I mean, think about it," Cid continued with his train of thought. "Who names their kid something like that?"

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked, entertaining the captain's fancy, whilst attempting to keep his attention focused on the information flashing across the screen in front of him.

"I mean, what kind of evil-ass parents give their kid the kind of name they just _know_ is gonna get'em bullied right the hell through school day in and day out? You think about that."

"Right," Vincent replied, not paying attention.

"Musta been hippies or something.." Cid mused, stroking the bristle of his chin.

"I believe his father served in the war..?" Vincent hazarded. He remembered the former Avalanche leader mentioning as much at some point, though his recollection of any details was vague at best.

"Huh... So, half-eagle, half-hippie family. One messed-up child-hood that musta been.." Cid rambled on.

"Cid, I have _work_ to do," Vincent reminded the pilot. "Don't you?"

"Naw," Cid replied, stretching and reclining further, as much as the cramped quarters of the Blackbird's cockpit would allow. "It's pretty much all autopilot from here on in. I'm good."

Vincent sighed. He tapped a few more commands into the terminal, altering and re-arranging the display of wireframe maps on his screen.

"Seriously, though.." Cid muttered, planting his feet on top of the dashboard, much to Vincent's chagrin. "I know I'da stopped talkin' to my folks forever if they'd settled me with a name like that."

"If you say so, Mr. Highwind," Vincent replied, leaving a slightly stronger emphasis on the captain's last name than was strictly necessary. "Now, would you kindly pull up the latest air traffic reports?" he asked. "We need to know if there's anyone sharing the sky with us tonight. I don't have to remind you that we're not supposed to be here in the first place."

"Got it covered," Cid replied, sitting back up. "Now where's that thing.."

"Cloud here," a voice came over the speaker system. "You guys in place?"

"Well, you took your sweet time getting here," Cid replied, leaning in over his microphone. "Where are you, exactly?"

"Had to drop something off," the voice on the other end said. "I'm approaching the Novus building now."

In the rain-slicked streets below, a lone motorcycle could be seen weaving through the heavy traffic, heading towards Midgar's business sector. Up ahead, the Novus corporation's headquarters came into view. On its own, the building did not stand out particularly against the numerous skyscrapers and office buildings in the sector, save for its sheer height, towering over most of the other corporate monoliths. "Novus Vita", the large neon sign on the roof said, painting the area nearby a vivid green hue. 'A new life for all!', the corporate slogan underneath proclaimed in fine italics.

"Can you see the entry point?" Vincent asked.

"Just pulling up," Cloud replied. "I'm heading into the garage now."

As he spoke, Cloud pulled away from the rest of traffic, into the garage of the building opposite the Novus Vita corporate headquarters. He parked the motorcycle amidst the rows of indistinct cars lining the garage, switched the engine off and got up, keeping his helmet on. It wasn't his custom to ride wearing a helmet, but tonight called for discretion, and it would make him harder to spot. The motorcycle was not his own, but a rental which he had procured under a false name. After their little operation tonight, he would most likely have to abandon it, and thus better to use something disposable, he figured. Depending on how things went, they might have to avoid Midgar altogether for a while.

He walked over to the far side of the garage, to a double set of elevators, pressed the call button, then engaged his radio transmitter while he waited. "I'm entering the elevator," he said. "Vince, you got the schematics up and running?"

"Got it covered," Vincent's voice sounded in his earpiece. "Also, there's a toolkit above you. Don't forget to pick it up before you leave."

"Right," Cloud said, glancing at the elevator's roof.

"You remember the route, right?" Cid asked.

"Fifty-first floor, take a right, exit second to last door," Cloud recited from memory.

"Good," Vincent said. "You'll exit out onto the roof. There'll be a small edifice up there. Employee bar, by the looks of it. Pass through there, then head towards the north edge of the building."

Cloud waited. As the floors ticked past on the elevator's display, he reached up towards the roof, removing the access panel. He felt around until his hand met with a heavy backpack, which he brought back down before closing the panel again. He knelt down on the floor, rummaging through the bag's contents briefly, before shouldering it and getting back up.

"Looks like everything is in place," he said.

"All right," Cid replied. "Just remember the drill: Get in, get the data we need, and get out again. No hero shit tonight, got it?"

Cloud nodded, but said nothing. A few more seconds, and the elevator reached the fifty-first floor, opening out onto a plain grey corridor lined with homogenous black doors. _"Very corporate,"_ he thought.

He made his way down the corridor, stopping at the door Vincent had specified. Turning the handle, he found that it was locked. "Well, we're off to a good start," he said to himself.

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

"Door's locked," Cloud replied. "I'll see if I can get it open quietly."

Kneeling by the door, he removed an autopicker from his tool kit, and attached it to the keyhole. The device worked on the lock for a minute, generating a small amount of mechanical noise as it matched the different heights of the lock's tumblers. The picker emitted a final beeping noise, and the door opened with a 'click'.

"Well?" Vincent asked.

"Your toy did its job," Cloud said. "Supposing they've got something more modern at Novus?"

"We'll worry about it when the time comes," Cid told him. "We packed a lot of goodies in that bag, ya know. Where are you now?"

"The rooftop," Cloud replied. "Coming up on that bar you mentioned."

Cloud pushed the door to the bar open. The air inside was choked with steam rising from fresh bowls of noodles, and saturated with the smell of roasted meat and beer. The employees relaxing inside looked up at the stranger who had just barged into their little establishment. Apparently, they were not expecting a visit from an outsider, and certainly not one who would not deign to show his face.

For a minute, it seemed as though they might bar him entry, but after a moment, they returned their attention to their meals and drinks, weary from their day at work. Cloud walked past the tables and stalls, passing without comment. Some of the patrons watched him with mild interest as he walked by, then returned to their conversations. By the time he had reached the door on the other side of the room, he was all but a bygone memory in the minds of the bar's patrons.

Back outside in the cool air, Cloud headed towards the northern edge of the building. "Okay, I'm on the other side," he said. "How's everything look on your end?"

Back inside the Blackbird, Cid and Vincent were tapping away at their controls, monitoring the situation.

"Just got the thermal imaging display up," Vincent said. As he spoke, the screen in front of him brought up a display of the Novus Vita headquarters, deep blue against the black night.

"Geez, that's a lot of bodies in there.." Cid muttered, glancing at Vincent's screen.

Most of the buildings surrounding the Novus Vita corporation were nearly devoid of all life, according to the thermal signatures on their display. The Novus building's top floors, on the other hand, were packed with people, their bodies' thermal signatures displayed as a clusters of red, white and green moving in all directions.

"What's a life insurance company need with that many guards?" Cid asked, biting down slightly on his cigarette.

"Heavily armed, too," Vincent pointed out. "Look."

Cid watched the image more closely, examining the heat signatures of the guards, realizing that they were carrying what appeared to be assault rifles on their shoulders.

"How many?" Cloud asked.

"Some twenty guys, at least," Cid said. "Maybe more. Looks like your anonymous tip panned out. There's definitely something fishy about this place."

"Dummy corporation, huh?" Vincent asked.

"That's what I'm thinking," Cloud said.

"Watch your back, kiddo." Cid said. "These guys ain't packin' no water pistols."

The rain had turned to a light drizzle while Cloud had made his way through the office building, but thunder and lightning were still rumbling in the sky, illuminating the night as he made his way to the northern edge of the rooftop.

It was only now that he was standing near the edge of the building that the vertiginous heights at which he and his team were operating began to sink in. The traffic down below seemed to be merely lights flitting about in the dark, and the wind's intensity was slowly picking up, as though aware of the stakes now involved, hoping to change the outcome for the worse. _"One false move.."_ Cloud thought.

"You sure about going in there unarmed?" Cid asked.

"The buster would just slow me down," Cloud said, kneeling down again, opening the tool kit. "I'll be in and out before you know it."

"Ain't sayin' you need to pack that oversized meat-cleaver of yours with you," Cid replied. "I was thinkin' something a bit more _subtle_.."

"...like a claymore," he added, muffling the mic. Vincent smiled ever so slightly at his remark.

Cloud dug into the tool kit again, removing a set of mechanical parts and metal slides. Kneeling down, he set about piecing together the grappling hook launcher Vincent had supplied him with. Within a few minutes, he had the launcher ready. Inserting the first grapnel, he hefted the gun, fired it at point-blank range against the nearby wall, burying the steel grapnel in the concrete. He inserted the second grapnel. Then, taking careful aim at the Novus building's rooftop, he fired again, waited, then tugged at the attached cable, making sure it was taut.

The Novus building's roof was only a few storeys below, but the distance between it and the other buildings had made it difficult for the three of them to find a good spot for infiltration. Finally, they had settled upon this location. It was still farther away than he would have liked, but they didn't have time to change plans.

He attached the toolkit to the cable via a carabiner, letting it slide down to the Novus building, before attaching himself to the line. The wind howled. Thunder and lightning crackled in the sky once more, as if to ward off any trespassers. Looking down, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then walked off the ledge, letting the pulley take his weight.

The descent took mere seconds, yet it seemed like lifetimes passed during his descent between the two skyscrapers. Cool air brushed his face. The world around him seemed a fleeting combination of cold light and deep shadows. Nothing but death waiting below, and nothing keeping him from meeting with it but a thin wire, to which he entrusted his life.

Finally, as he reached the end of the line, he touched down on the other side, severing the cable as he landed on the rooftop of the Novus building. The metal cable slid away, disappearing into the darkness below. One less loose end to worry about.

Cloud got up, dusting himself off. He removed his helmet, letting it drop to the ground, then touched the receiver in his ear. "I'm in," he said.

Inside the Blackbird, Cid breathed a sigh of relief. "Good job," he said. "You see the entrance?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied.

"All right, you just need to pick the lock. Should be simple enough," Cid told him. "From there you can get to the main office through the corridor.."

"Wait," Vincent interjected. "He needs to cut the power to the alarms first. Just a minute," he said, tapping a few keys on his keyboard. The display on his screen brought up more detailed information on the building's electrical wiring. "Okay," he said. "The fuse box should be just to your left."

Cloud, however, was already moving in the opposite direction.

"Uh, that would be your _other_ left, Cloud," Cid remarked. "As in, you know, left. Sinister. Port side."

Cloud paid no heed to his friends' instructions. Approaching the landing pad on the far side of the rooftop, he removed a small pouch from his pocket. Untying the knot holding it closed, he took out a small, red orb. Materia, infused with the essence of fire.

"Cloud?" Cid's voice came over the headset. "What are you doing?"

Cid turned to Vincent. "What's he doing?" he asked.

Vincent looked at him, shrugged, then turned his attention back to the monitor.

Reaching the apex of the landing pad, Cloud placed the materia in one corner. Then, he took out a second one and repeated the process with the corner opposite. He continued placing materia in a regular configuration until he had covered the whole landing pad symmetrically.

"Look, in case you didn't notice, we're kinda running against the clock here," Cid told him, getting irritated. "Get yer ass inside that building."

Cloud simply stood there for a moment, examining the pattern he had just made. He walked from one end to the other, examining the distance between the orbs on the ground. Then he slid back down the ladder, scattering a few more materia around the lower part of the rooftop.

"Cloud, would you fucking get inside the fucking building right _fucking_ now?" Cid asked. "Pretty please?" he added.

"I'm moving," Cloud said.

"What were you doing?" Cid asked.

"Taking precautions," Cloud replied.

"Shit," Cid muttered under his breath. "I knew the kid would go loopy on us _one_ day. I was just hoping it wouldn't be _today_."

A moment passed. Then, a brief hissing sound could be heard over the radio. "I've taken out the fuse box," Cloud said. "But what about motion detectors?"

"If they have that many guards marching around, I doubt they are running any," Vincent told him. "At least, not out in the corridors."

"All right, I'm heading inside now," Cloud said.

"Thank the gods," Cid remarked, off radio. "For a second there, I thought he'd finally gone bonkers on us."

"Looks like we're back on schedule," Vincent replied.

Cloud pushed the rooftop entrance door open. To his surprise, he found it unlocked. Entering the stairwell, he moved down the stairs as quietly as possible. The carpeted floor inside the building drained away the moisture from the soles of his boots as he snuck downstairs. _"No need to worry about footprints, at least,"_ he thought.

Once downstairs, he entered the main lobby, a wide room consisting of a broad, semi-circular welcome desk and several other entrances leading off into various offices. The ceiling reached at least three floors above, with the offices above the main floor visible via glass. The lobby was adorned with several marble busts and paintings. The whole building bore an air of refinement and taste, befitting a long-established business. Novus Vita, however, Cloud noted, was a mere few months old, according to its records. Something definitely wasn't right here.

Walking past the welcome area, Cloud quietly made his way past the double doors behind the reception desk. Moving down the corridor, he flattened himself against a darkened corner just in time to evade the gaze of a patrolling guard.

"Got a visual on the security yet?" Cid's voice came in his ear.

Cloud leaned his head past the corner as the guard passed by, taking care not to get spotted. "I see them," he replied. "Like you said, these guys are armed. Assault rifles and full body armor. Definitely not your average corp security," he remarked. "More like a private army."

Cid snorted. "I say again. What's a life insurance company need with that kinda muscle?"

"Perhaps they're very protective of their clients' records?" Vincent said.

"Yeah, I'll just bet.." Cid replied.

"The main office is up ahead," Vincent said. "Down the corridor and to your left."

"All right," Cloud replied. "I'm on the move."

He headed down the corridor, moving as fast as he could without making noise. As he turned the next corner, however, he very nearly bumped into a guard walking in his direction. The sudden, unexpected encounter caught Cloud off guard. The Novus soldier looked equally surprised to see him. Before he could react, Cloud quickly closed the distance between the two of them, ramming his shoulder into the guard's solar plexus, sending him staggering back. Whatever warning was about to issue from the guard's lips was swiftly silenced as the air left his lungs. Cloud lunged at the guard, wresting his hands from the rifle he was carrying, forcing him to drop to his knees. The two scuffled on the floor for a brief moment, as Cloud maneuvered behind the guard, putting him into a choke hold.

Within a few seconds, the guard's body went limp. Cloud, however, retained the hold for a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary. He knew that security guards were sometimes trained to feign unconsciousness in this kind of situation, then spring a surprise attack on the enemy when the opportunity presented itself. He knew it was hazardous to take the extra time, but it was better than to risk botching the mission.

Satisfied that the guard was truly unconscious, Cloud quietly hauled the body down the corridor. Returning to the main lobby, he stashed the unconscious guard behind the welcome desk. He took a moment to sift through the guard's pockets and disarm him. The rifle was too bulky to carry around, but he made sure to remove all clips from the guard's weapons and belt. Pocketing the guard's side-arm, he got back up, brushing himself off.

"Problem?" Vincent asked.

"It's nothing," Cloud replied.

"Well, get a move on it," Cid said. "That data ain't gonna copy itself."

Heading back down the corridor, Cloud made his way to the main office, at the far back of the building.

"I'm outside the main office," he said. "What about security?"

"You cut the power to the alarm systems," Vincent noted. "But the front door is likely to be wired up to a special system. You need another point of entry."

"Such as?" Cloud asked.

"Well, take a look up," Vincent said.

"You want me to go crawling through the ducts?" Cloud asked.

"If you would be so kind," Vincent said.

"I hate crawling through ducts," Cloud sighed.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have volunteered to take point on this mission, then," Vincent remarked.

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Cloud replied. He looked around, circling the outside of the office. Finally, he found a duct opening inside one of the adjacent offices, and set about screwing the lid off.

A few moments later, and he was at the other end of the ducts, facing the main office. He screwed the lid off with the automatic tool, then let it drop carefully to the floor, before hanging down, dropping to the floor himself. The duct opening was too high for him to replace the lid. He cursed under his breath. He was leaving too many traces behind.

The main office was vast, furnished with mahogany book cabinets, exotic plants and expensive-looking paintings. The office floor was bathed in the cold light of the moon, shining through the large window panes that made up the back wall.

At the far end of the office there was a large desk with a computer workstation built in. Cloud approached the workstation, taking out a small portable drive. He reached down underneath the desk, locating a slot for the drive, then booted the computer up.

"Okay, the drive's attached," Cloud said. "What now?"

"Just wait a minute," Cid replied.

"The drive contains a virus," Vincent explained. "It will bypass the system's security and boot up into a special operating system. From there, you'll have complete access to all files."

"Okay," Cloud said. "Looks like it's working."

The screen came to life, displaying the Novus Vita corporate logo. The words "Welcome, Dr. Virgil", appeared next, followed by a rapid stream of information, too fast for Cloud to read. After that, a series of warnings and error messages flashed across the screen as the virus began to crack the system's security.

"Dr. Virgil.." Cloud muttered.

"What's that?" Cid asked.

"This Virgil character again," Cloud said, pacing the office floor. "What do we know about him?"

"Very little," Vincent replied. "Only that he and his brother did some contract work for Shinra a long time ago. Something to do with Mako reactor construction. The details are sketchy at best."

"I knew it," Cloud said. "There _is_ a connection to Shinra."

"It's tenuous at best," Vincent countered.

"But it's there," Cloud replied. "Are you sure we don't have anything else on him?"

"We'll do some digging later," Cid replied. "But let's focus on what we're doing now, all right?"

"All right.." Cloud said.

* * *

Sergeant Archer marched down the dusky corridor for what felt like the millionth time. He hated this endless patrol work. It had been months since he had fired upon a practice target, much less a live one. If what the bosses had told him earlier was true, that would all change soon, but the waiting was killing him.

He was more or less ready to finish his patrol and head home for the night, when he passed by the welcome desk on the top floor. As he walked by, he spotted something behind the desk, casting a shadow in the wrong way.

Arched walked slowly over to the shadow, pointing the flashlight mounted on his rifle at the floor below. His heart started racing as he realized what it was. A fellow guard, unconscious, and from the looks of it, expertly disarmed.

He reached for his comm unit. "This is Archer," he said. "All units converge on the top floor. We have an intruder."

* * *

A few more warnings appeared on the computer screen, followed by a few lines of code. Then the screen went blank, before booting up into a rudimentary operating system.

"Okay, we're in," Cloud said.

"Good," Vincent said. "This should be an automatic process, for the most part. Get the search program running, and it should take care of the rest."

Cloud did as Vincent instructed. A few moments later, the results began to appear on screen. A number of documents were listed, most of them detailing seemingly legitimate corporate business. A few of them, however, stood out from the rest, enumerating seemingly random locations, names and numbers.

"Anything?" Cid asked.

"Still ticking," Cloud said.

"I'll see if I can get a wireless connection up and running," Vincent said. "Just hold tight."

Cloud leaned up against the desk, staring out the tall windows. A sliver of lightning flashed, momentarily bathing the office in a phantasmal light, before fading away again. Thunder rumbled in the distance in its wake.

He tapped his fingers against the heavy desk. As he waited, something caught his eye. A folder on a tray near the workstation, marked with red letters on the cover. 'Imprints Located', the title said. He reached for the folder, leafing through its contents. He strained his eyes to read in the darkened office, making out a list of uncannily familiar names.

"..Hojo, Ifalna, Gast, Gainsborough...", he read. He flipped the page back to the beginning of the document.

"We've got the data," Vincent's voice came over the wire, interrupting him.

"All of it?" Cloud asked, still poring over the folder in his hand.

"Yeah. Enough, anyway," Cid replied. "All the main documents from the past few weeks."

"We've copied it through the wireless connection," Vincent said. "You can leave the mini-drive."

"Paydirt," Cid replied, grinning.

"What about the rest of the data?" Cloud asked. "How long would it take to copy?"

"What do you mean, the 'rest of it'?" Cid asked.

"I mean all of it," Cloud replied.

"That would take a while," Vincent said.

"How long?" Cloud asked.

"Longer than we've got," Cid replied. "Look, we've got what we came for. Let's get outta here before someone notices our presence."

"It might be too late for that," Vincent said, pointing at his screen.

"Oh, geez. That ain't good," Cid said. The infrared scanner on Vincent's side of the cockpit revealed a rapid increase in movement, all in one uniform direction. The top floor.

"What's happening?" Cloud said.

"We've got movement," Cid replied. "A _lot_ of it. Bad guys coming your way."

"They know we're here?" Cloud asked.

"Well, they sure as shit ain't comin' in for a lunch break," Cid replied.

"Wait.." Cloud said. He knew there was no time, but something in the back of his mind told him they needed more information. The data they had pulled wasn't enough..

"Ain't got time to wait," Cid replied. "Someone's comin' your way. You need to be dust, ASAP."

"I want to remove the hard drive," Cloud said. "The main one."

"_What_?" Cid replied. "Boy, you ain't got time for that. We got what we need. Just get yer spiky ass outta there."

Ignoring the captain's warnings, Cloud stuffed the folder inside the tool kit, then removed a mechanical screw driver, moving underneath the desk to dismantle the mainframe's casing.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Cid shouted over the comm. "Shit.."

"They're closing in," Vincent pointed out. The various shapes on his display were falling together into one solid heat signature, making it nearly impossible to pick out individual guards. They were mere minutes away from the main office..

"Goddamnit, Cloud," Cid said, his voice tense. "Just get out of there."

Screwing the panel away, Cloud pulled out some wires that were obstructing his view of the mainframe's insides, then carefully removed the hard drive, placing it inside his backpack.

The building was eerily silent. Cloud thought that he had heard footsteps a moment before, but now everything was quiet. He got out from under the desk, then moved cautiously alongside its edge, holding his breath. Something wasn't right..

Suddenly, the glass on either side of him shattered into a thousand pieces as the bullets struck. The main doors of the office burst open, and a group of armed soldiers stormed the room, rifles blazing. Cloud ducked back behind the desk just in the nick of time. As he fell back, a stray bullet grazed his arm, causing him to collapse on his side.

"Shit! _Fuck!_" Cid's voice came over the comm. "Okay, time for Plan B."

"Yeah?" Cloud replied, teeth gritted from the burning pain in his arm. "What's that?"

"Don't get your ass shot off," Cid said. "I'm bringing the Blackbird around. Where are you?"

"I'm pinned down in the main office," Cloud replied, hazarding a peek around the desk's corner. The guards were slowly advancing on his position, cautiously covering every possible exit.

"Can you get up to the rooftop?" Vincent asked.

"I'll try," Cloud replied.

In the distance, he could hear the Blackbird's rotors revving up. He peeked around the corner again. The guards were getting closer, and there was no way he could move past them without being torn to shreds by gunfire. Thinking fast, he realized there was only one possible way out of this situation.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he took out the firearm he had confiscated from the guard earlier, and placed it up against the top of the desk. Without looking, he pulled the trigger a few times in rapid succession, firing blindly. He doubted that he would hit anything, but it would buy him the few precious seconds he needed to finish his preparations.

As he had hoped, his counterattack forced the guards to take cover. Working quickly, he sifted through the tool kit for the grapple gun parts, piecing it together as quickly as possible. He attached the line, then fired the grapnel into the floor directly in front of him. Making sure that the grapnel had taken hold, he shouldered the toolkit again, taking hold of the line.

The guards, momentarily halted by the stray gunfire, were advancing on his position again. As they closed in, he stood up and ran straight forward, diving right into the partially shattered window in front of him. The rest of the glass broke upon impact, raining down into the streets below, slicing into his flesh as he fell through.

A moment later, the line went taut, sending him falling back towards the Novus building in a pendulum motion. He groaned as he slammed against the hard acrylic glass, a few storeys below the main office. Above, he could hear the guards shouting, mostly in surprise. But he knew they would find him before long.

He leaned against the cold glass, tightening his grip on the thin metal wire, which was already becoming perilously rain-slicked. The impact had bent the glass pane slightly inwards, but it was still intact. Taking out his pistol again, he fired the remaining half of the clip into the glass. Even after the last bullet had exited the chamber, the glass still held together. Cloud cursed under his breath, letting the gun fall to the ground below. Taking hold of the wire with both hands again, he kicked against the glass with all the strength he could muster. Then again. And a third time. Still, it didn't budge.

"He's down there!" someone above him shouted. In the distance, he could hear the Blackbird approaching, the sound of its rotors getting louder, but there was little that his comrades could do to help him from here.

As a last, desperate move, he pressed against the glass with his feet, then pushed himself away, jumping backwards, then swinging back towards the building, bringing all of his weight against the window. The glass cracked some more, but didn't give way. Above, the Novus security forces were brandishing their weapons. Bracing himself for the impact, he pushed away again. Finally the glass fell apart, shattering into tiny pieces as he came crashing through. Behind him, he could hear the sound of rifle fire, followed by more curses and shouting.

"You okay, kiddo?" Cid asked.

"For now," Cloud replied, getting back to his feet, doing his best to ignore the pain in his arms. "I'm on the forty-sixth floor," he said. "...I think," he added, still catching his breath.

"All right, just keep moving," Cid told him. "We'll meet you on the rooftop."

* * *

The Blackbird tore through the air, approaching the roof of one of the buildings next to the Novus headquarters.

"Vince, get out there and give him some cover," Cid said.

Vincent was already gearing up, shouldering a sniper rifle and a heavy black munitions bag. The Blackbird's side door swung open, and he dropped down onto the rooftop below. The gunman wasted no time in making his way up the ladder leading to the next building's roof, the tallest one he could find, taking up a position at the very edge of the building.

"I'm in position," he said. "Let's see if these guys want to play."

* * *

The materia glowed a brilliant viridian in the dark, producing a brief, soothing effect as its stored-up power was released. Cloud breathed another sigh of relief as the wounds closed themselves, and the pain subsided. The orb shone for a moment longer, then grew dark, indicating that its power was spent. Cloud let it drop to the floor, shouldering his toolkit again.

The guards, he knew, would be making their way down to his position. It was only a matter of time before they bore down on him. Somehow, he would have to make it past them, and then upstairs again, towards the rooftop helipad.

The floor that he was on now was quite different from the one he had just left. Instead of tasteful architecture and lush vegetation, he found himself amidst a series of generic cubicles and smaller offices. He looked out one of the windows. The other buildings surrounding the Novus Vita headquarters were too far away for him to attempt climbing over, even with the grapple gun. No scaffoldings or balconies for him to catch a hold of, either. There was no way he could slip past the guards that way. That only left one option. He would have to head right past the guards as they moved towards him.

"I need a distraction," he said, bringing his hand up to his earpiece.

"Coming right up," Cid replied.

Cloud moved up alongside the far edge of the floor, towards the stairwell. He could hear boots tramping up above him, getting closer by the second. Leaning against a corner, he waited for the guards to filter into the corridor. As they were about halfway across, they were suddenly blinded by a powerful floodlight, blasting in through the windows as the Blackbird strafed past the building.

The distraction bought Cloud just enough time. He bolted forward, forcing his way past all but the last few guards as they fought to regain their sight. There wasn't enough time to move past them all, however, as they were recovering faster than he had anticipated, forcing him to change his plans. He bull-rushed the nearest guard, slipping behind him and removing his sidearm in one swift movement. He locked the guard in a rear choke hold, pressing the gun against the side of his head.

"Hold your fire!" one of the soldiers ordered. He seemed older and more grizzled than the rest, and it was obvious from his appearance that he held rank of some kind. The other soldiers kept their weapons trained on Cloud and his human shield, but refrained from firing.

"You're not going anywhere," the officer told him, rifle aimed at Cloud's head. "Put the gun down and surrender."

"Can't do that," Cloud replied, slowly backing away, towards the stairwell. His hostage resisted, but the pressure being applied to his neck enforced his compliance.

"Put the gun down and you won't be harmed," Archer repeated, slowly stalking after him. The soldiers behind him moved up as well, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Cloud ignored the order, moving closer to the staircase. He knew he couldn't back up the stairs with a live hostage, so there was only one thing for it. Dropping the gun, he shoved the guard towards the other soldiers, then made a break for it. The rest of the squad started firing almost immediately, but their aim was ruined by the guard sent crashing into them. Cloud bolted up the staircase as fast as he possibly could, the sound of gunfire close behind him.

* * *

Downstairs, Archer and his fellow soldiers recovered their composure, heading up the stairs after the intruder. As Archer was about to follow his squad, he was interrupted by one of the privates under his command.

"Sir," he said. "It's Virgil."

"God damnit," Archer cursed, taking the radio from the private, before sending him on his way.

"Archer," the doctor's voice came over the radio. "What's going on?"

"We've got an intruder at the Midgar building," Archer informed him. "My men are taking him down as we speak."

"Make sure you bring him in alive," the voice on the other end said. "The other doctors want to speak with him. I will pass the order to your men."

"Yes, sir," Archer said, barely restraining his frustration. He wasn't about to let an intruder walk, just because the bosses wanted to handle things with kid gloves.

He threw the radio to the ground, smashing it to pieces. A thought occurred to him. As long as he got to the intruder first, things might still go his way..

* * *

Vincent waited, watching the action inside the Novus building as it unfolded. The cold, heavy rain was beginning to wrinkle his dark business suit, seeping in through the fabric. Years of discipline, however, prevented him from making the slightest move from discomfort, in case his attention should falter.

He could see Cloud moving along the side of the building, now on the forty-seventh floor.

"Taking the scenic route?" Vincent asked.

"Door's locked," Cloud explained. "Need to make it to the other stairwell."

As he ran along the side of the building, another squad of soldiers turned the corner to meet him. Before they could bring their weapons up, however, they were brought down by Vincent's unerring aim. The high-caliber bullets pierced through the glass, followed by the soldiers' femurs and leg bones, incapacitating them.

"Thanks," Cloud said, rushing past the disabled guards.

Vincent nodded, getting up at last. Circling around the Novus building, he set about picking his next spot. Pools of water splashed up around his ankles as he ran across from one rooftop to the next. The gunman paid no heed to the sheer height as he leapt from one building to the next.

Some distance away, the Blackbird was circling the building in the opposite direction. "Looks like he's almost at the top," Cid said. "Vince, can you meet me halfway?"

"I'm on my way," Vincent replied.

* * *

The door opening out to the Novus building's rooftop flew open as Cloud came crashing through. The guards were not far behind him, but he figured that he had just enough time to make it up to the helipad. The increasingly familiar sound of gunfire rang out behind him, but he had already made it to cover behind one of the roof's numerous air vents. He waited for a break in the fire, then launched himself towards the ladder leading up to the helipad.

As he made it upstairs, he could see the Blackbird approaching. Cid had just finished picking Vincent up, and was coming in for a landing. The Novus guards were closing in, but they wouldn't make it in time to intercept them.

As he walked towards the center of the landing pad, however, a single gunshot rang out, echoing in the night. The sound came from the other side of the helipad.

Cloud grimaced as he realized he was being approached by the officer he had ran into down below. He had taken a short-cut while the rest of the soldiers kept him busy.

"On your knees," Sergeant Archer commanded. "Hands behind your head."

He had his rifle aimed squarely at Cloud's torso. The Blackbird was close, but not close enough. Cloud looked around. No cover. No nothing. At this range, he was as good as dead.

"Do it. Now!" Archer demanded, tightening his grip on the trigger.

Seeing no other option, Cloud knelt down to the ground, clasping his hands behind the back of his head.

"Oh, shit.." Cid muttered, seeing the situation unfolding on the rooftop. The other guards were moving up to the helipad, surrounding Cloud.

"Vince, take'em down!" Cid told the gunman.

"I can't get a shot," Vincent replied tersely, attempting to aim through the open side door of the Blackbird.

The soldiers had by now encircled Cloud, ensuring that there was no escape.

"The bosses tell me they want me to bring you in alive," Archer told him, pacing the helipad, circling around the intruder.

"But it seems to me like you're resisting arrest.." he continued, facing Cloud once again. There was a hint of sadistic glee in the officer's voice. "Well, we all know how that ends," he said, cocking his rifle and taking aim at Cloud's head.

"Fuck me," Cid said. "He's going to execute him.."

The pilot looked towards Vincent, agitated by their inability to interfere. Vincent, he could see, was similarly frustrated.

"Any last words?" Archer asked, a vicious grin forming on his face.

"Yeah..." Cloud replied, looking up at him. Archer's confidence was shaken for a moment. What he saw in his enemy's eyes was not defeat, but certainty; the look of a man who had just outwitted his opponent.

"Burn," Cloud said.

No sooner had he spoken, than the entire rooftop of the Novus building exploded into an inferno, the materia in Cloud's hand triggering the others he had scattered across the roof, igniting all of them at once.

The soldiers on the helipad and the rooftop were all caught in the flames instantaneously, screaming and panicking, rolling on the ground to put themselves out. The one spot that remained untouched was where Cloud had been kneeling, calculated as being at a safe distance from the blast.

"What the hell was that!" Cid yelled over the comm.

"Plan B," Cloud replied.

The path now cleared, he got up to his feet again, moving towards the Blackbird. Cid brought the aircraft closer to the building, but Archer was already up again, ignoring the flames still alight on his uniform, operating on sheer rage. Cloud built up as much speed as he could, leaping from the rooftop to the chopper, hoping to close the gap. His hand gripped the undercarriage's railing, but it was too slippery and he lost his grip almost as soon as he had it.

Fortunately, Vincent was there to catch him by the arm just before he fell into the blackness below. Cid, meanwhile, wrestled with the Blackbird's controls to keep the aircraft from capsizing and ramming into the building.

With great effort, Vincent hauled Cloud back inside the Blackbird. The two of them got back up to their feet, closing the side door just as the guards began to open fire again. Several bullets grazed the Blackbird, penetrating its fuselage. A string of curse words could be heard from the cockpit as Cid brought the airship as far away from the Novus building as possible.

Satisfied that they were out of harm's way, Cloud and Vincent each leaned down against separate sides of the cargo hold, breathing long sighs of relief.

"Hey," Cid's voice came from the cockpit. "What did I say about hero shit?"

"I wasn't listening," Cloud said, still catching his breath.

"Yeah... you have a tendency to do that," Cid said. "Materia resonance... You really are crazy, you know that?"

"I thought that was just a theory," Vincent said.

"Not anymore," Cloud replied. "Anyway, I got the drive," he added, digging the device out from his backpack.

"What, the whole thing?" Cid asked.

Cloud nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Let me see that," Vincent said.

Cloud tossed him the hard drive, then got up, sitting down inside the cockpit next to the captain. "What's the damage?" he asked.

Cid chewed on his cigarette, visibly irritated. "Too early to tell," he replied. "They missed the fuel tank, thankfully, but we'll have to take her down for repairs somewhere."

"Where?" Cloud asked. "Junon?"

"Nah..." Cid replied. "I'm thinkin' someplace sunny."

* * *

It wasn't the first time Yuffie had found herself on the run from an enraged shopkeeper, but this guy was more tenacious than the usual customer. Normally, the lithe teenager would outpace whoever was chasing her after a brief spurt, but this guy showed no sign of fatigue. And no matter how she tried to lose him in the crowds, somehow he would always pick her out again. Worst of all, he seemed to be gathering followers during the chase.

"There she is!" he shouted.

"Geez, just give _up_ already!" she said, growing more and more tired by the minute.

The two of them kicked up dust as they ran through the bustling streets of Costa del Sol. The mid-day sun was up, and the heat was scorching, even for the usually sweltering city. The shopkeepers of Costa del Sol didn't take kindly to thieves in general, and nowhere was this more apparent than in how more of them seemed to be joining in the chase.

She had long ago dropped whatever it was that had taken her fancy to begin with, in order to pick up speed. She could hardly even remember what it was. Just some cheap trinket or another, picked out among the thousands being hawked in the downtown bazaar. It was all she could do to keep her old urges in check. From the way that shopkeeper kept going after her, she guessed that getting even was more important to him than getting his merchandise back.

She made a quick turn into another street lined with stalls, pivoting around the bend to retain momentum. At the end of the street, a single stall blocked her path. She leapt up, catching the roof of the stall with her hands, vaulting through the middle feet first, before its owner even realized what was going on. As the fulminating mob of merchants chasing her maneuvered clumsily past the stall, she ducked into a nearby alley formed by a cluster of smaller buildings. The narrow alleyways of Costa del Sol were a maze at the best of times, and she figured it would be her best chance to lose her trail.

Having put some distance between herself and the angry mob, she hid herself inside a low crevice in the underside of one of the buildings. The crowd of merchants came running past just as she had finished concealing herself. "She can't have gone far!" one of them growled as they passed her by.

She waited for a moment, until she was certain that they had left, then crawled back out again, wiping away the dust and sweat, breathing a sigh of relief. Despite being fatigued from the chase, she couldn't help but chuckle at the situation she had gotten herself into by accident. One of these days, she thought, her thieving hands would get her into real trouble.

She wandered off in the opposite direction, in order to avoid being spotted again. With a light step, she rounded another corner. As she did, she bumped into a stranger coming her way. Caught off balance, she fell backwards onto the ground, crashing into an old, broken-down stall.

"Ow..." she said, rubbing the back of her head. "Watch where you're going!" she shouted at the stranger who had knocked her down. "Jerk.."

"Sorry," the stranger said, offering a hand. Yuffie accepted it reluctantly, allowing him to help her back up to her feet. She patted herself down, then looked up to see a familiar face.

"Cloud?" she asked, surprised.

Standing before he was the young man with whom she had travelled the world and fought alongside two years ago. In the time that had passed since then, little had changed about him. He had modified his attire somewhat, she noticed. He no longer wore the Shinra uniform he had inherited from his late friend, but something resembling it in function, if not form. Among the darker fabrics, refitted arm-guard and other light pieces of armor she thought she could spy a hidden dagger or two. She also noticed that he was carrying his sword again, something that he had supposedly laid to rest after the Meteor crisis.

Despite these surface changes, Cloud himself largely remained the same as she remembered. The same features, the same bearing, the same handsome, strangely youthful face, the same azure eyes, tinted with that subtle glow..

"Yuffie?" he asked, in turn. By the look on his face, he seemed just as surprised to see her.

"You've changed.." he said, cocking his head slightly to one side, looking her over.

She had lost some of the roundness in her cheeks, and he could tell that she was slowly blooming from the pretty, precocious teenager he had known into a beautiful young woman. It would be a while yet before she made that step, but the signs of change were there, subtly embedded in her features.

Yuffie cast her gaze downwards, a bit of colour rushing to her cheeks. She hoped like hell that he wouldn't notice.

"You haven't," she replied, smiling brightly, meeting his eyes. She had been wandering alone for the past few weeks, idly whiling her time away, and it was good to see a friendly face at last.

"So... what's up?" she asked, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Off to save the world again?"

A change came over Cloud's face as she asked, as though he were suddenly far away in spirit. His expression grew somber, and he broke away from her gaze.

"Something like that," he replied.

A brief silence passed between them. Sensing that the moment had passed, he met her eyes once more, offering a friendly smile.

"It was good seeing you again, Yuffie," Cloud said. "Take care," he added as he walked past her.

"H-hey... Wait!" Yuffie protested, but the swordsman had already turned the next corner.

Yuffie bit her lip. _"Oh, no, you don't,"_ she thought. _"Wander back into my life after two years, just to disappear right away again? I don't think so."_

A grin appeared on the young ninja's face. She could feel that old, familiar spark of mischief that had driven so much of her behaviour in the past surfacing once more. She decided that she would go after him, but he didn't have to know that. Not just yet.

Climbing up the nearest wall, she set off, following her friend via the rooftops of the lazy, sun-drenched city.


	5. Old Friends

_M: Ojos de Brujo – 'Memorias Perdidas'_

"_We keep bumping into each other. Funny how that works.."_

-Cid Highwind

**Final Fantasy VII  
****Crimson Fields**

**Chapter V  
****Old Friends**

* * *

The chase went on for a while, as Cloud made his way through the bustling streets of Costa del Sol's market district, seemingly unaware that he was being followed. Yuffie shadowed him through the city, slipping past noisy vendors, passing numerous bazaars and restaurants, alternating between street level and the rooftops and blending in with the crowd as the situation warranted.

As they neared the outer edges of the market district, Yuffie accidentally slipped on one of the curved tiles of the rooftop she was prowling on. The tile came loose, sliding down to the ground below, breaking apart on impact. The noise caught Cloud's attention, causing him to pause for a moment, looking up. Yuffie, fortunately, had managed to scramble back to the other side of the rooftop and hide, just in the nick of time.

Puzzled, the former Avalanche leader stood there for a moment, then started off again, thinking it was probably just his imagination.

"_That was a close one.."_ Yuffie thought. She didn't want to give away her presence. At least, not until she had followed Cloud all the way back to his destination. If she got caught early, he might brush her off again, and she wasn't about to let him do that.

After about half an hour of stalking her old friend, they arrived at the harbor. Cloud, she noticed, was headed towards a cluster of warehouses, down by the far end of the harbor, out of the way of the rest of the city. Checking his surroundings one last time to make sure he wasn't being followed, he entered one of the warehouses at the very end of the harbor area.

The warehouses themselves were not much more than large metal sheds, held together by a mess of steel beams puzzled together into a makeshift support structure. But they were large enough to house most of the cargo coming off the ships passing through Costa del Sol's harbor, and were seeing quite a lot of traffic. The ones near the end of the harbor, however, seemed less used than the others, as though put aside for some other purpose.

"_Okay... What exactly are you up to, Cloud?"_ Yuffie thought, sneaking up to the building. _"This is way more cloak-and-dagger than your usual style."_

Flattening herself against the wall, she peeked around one side of the enormous entrance. Inside, she could see Cloud and two other figures. Cid and Vincent, by the looks of it. The three of them were gathered around what looked like some kind of oversized helicopter. The young ninja squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look.

Cid was busy patching up the aircraft, while Cloud and Vincent spoke. Yuffie attempted to listen in on their conversation, but try as she might, she could not make out any details. They were too far away from her, and the doorway was too large for her to slip by to the other side. Seeing that the other side of the hangar was open in the same manner, however, she circled around the building, getting a closer look.

As she leaned up against the doorway on the other side, she began to pick up little snippets of conversation.

"..So, what's our next destination?" she heard Vincent saying.

"I'm thinking Winter's End," Cloud replied.

"They have a lab there?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, deep underground, by the looks of it," Cloud said.

"I see.."

"Anything on Virgil yet?" Cloud asked.

"Not yet," Vincent said.

Yuffie bit her lip. Though she could hear them now, what she was hearing was not enough to piece anything together. And she couldn't get a better look without giving away her own position.

Noticing that the roof seemed to be partially open, she clambered up the wall, making use of the warehouse's exterior support structure, as well as a mountain of old cardboard boxes that had been discarded near the building.

The roof had several openings for ventilation, where the platings on the roof had been lifted and set in place with simple iron rods. Slipping inside through one of the openings, she made her way down to the rafters. The rafters consisted of a series of metal bars and trusses haphazardly intersecting the area just below the roof. Yuffie grinned. For most people, it might have been dangerous. For her, it was an invitation. Practically a playground.

As she wandered about the rafters, trying to pick an ideal spot from which to eavesdrop, she noticed four other figures entering the warehouse, interrupting the ongoing conversation.

One of the figures, clearly the leader of the group, stepped forward, arms stretched out. "Guys, guys... You're not thinking of leaving us so soon, are you?" he asked, a sinister-looking smile upon his face. "You ain't even said goodbye yet."

"What do you want, Colvin?" Cloud asked, seemingly on guard. Vincent, too, seemed agitated by the man's appearance.

"You seem to be forgetting a little something," Colvin replied. "Like the money you owe us for letting you rent this place."

Cid hauled himself from underneath the helicopter, getting up from the creeper he had been laying on. The captain wiped the oil and grime from his face, looking none too happy to see Colvin and company. "We already paid you in full, jackass," he replied. "You been dropped on the head one too many times, or somethin'?"

Colvin shrugged. "Price just doubled. Ya know, state of the economy being what it is, and all.."

"Look, we just handed our last few gil to your damn boss yesterday," Cloud told them. "Come sundown, we're out of here. I suggest you get out of our way."

Cloud and Vincent made to reach for their weapons, but the thugs accompanying Colvin drew their guns first, making sure to keep enough distance from the Avalanchers to prevent any sudden attacks. The three men exchanged glances. They were caught in a kill zone. There was no way for them to make a move without being gunned down.

"_This is turning ugly.." _Yuffie thought. She quietly reached for her backpack, taking out a number of blades, affixing them around a ring centerpiece to form a combat shuriken. She moved in closer, picking her targets, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Now, now," Colvin said, smiling that same sinister smile. "We can't have that."

He continued talking as he moved in closer. His henchmen kept their guns trained on the Avalanchers. "Word on the street is there's quite a price on your heads," Colvin said, pausing, facing away from the group.

"You're Avalanche, aren't you?" he said, turning around once more.

Cloud, Cid and Vincent exchanged glances once more, then looked back at him, as if to say 'How does he know?'

Colvin sneered. "What, you thought we weren't going to find out?"

The man circled around the three Avalanchers, clearly enjoying his momentary position of power. "Now, I wonder what the three of you would be worth to the local law enforcement?" he said. "I understand your antics were quite high-profile, back in the day. 'Most wanted terrorist group', I believe it was.."

"Motherfucker, I'm going to kill you twice," Cid muttered under his breath, gripping the wrench in his hand a little more tightly. Colvin seemed merely amused by his anger.

"You should've been more honest with the Don," Colvin replied. "He don't like it when people ain't up-front with him. Especially such esteemed guests as yourselves. Now, shall we?"

"We didn't come all this way to be stopped by some two-bit gangster like you," Cloud replied.

"You got me confused with a man who likes to repeat himself," Colvin said. "Either you come with us, or we leave you dead on the ground. What's it going to be?"

Colvin's henchmen gestured for the Avalanchers to move, but they weren't having any of it. The three of them stood still, a defiant look in their eyes. Seething, Colvin moved in closer. Just a little bit closer than was safe..

"I said-" he started, but was interrupted as a small, sharp piece of metal came flying through the air. The shuriken tore into the arm of one of his thugs, causing him to drop his gun.

A split-second distraction. It was all they needed.

The three Avalanchers burst into action, each one picking a different target. Vincent drew a small, concealed pistol, shooting the most distant henchman in the leg, dropping him instantly. Cid wheeled around, knocking Colvin down to the ground with his wrench, while Cloud unsheathed and brought his sword down in one smooth motion, slicing the third henchman's gun in half. The swordsman extended him the courtesy of stopping just short of the trigger guard, and his index finger.

Between the three of them, they each had one thug covered, in addition to Colvin, who was crawling on the floor, staggered. However, a fourth henchman appeared from behind the warehouse entrance, training a high-powered rifle on the trio. The distance was too great for any of them to cover, and it was all but impossible for Vincent to bring his gun around in time to keep him from getting a shot off.

As his finger wrapped around the trigger, a voice came from up above. "Hey, up here!"

The thug looked up, only to see someone falling towards him. The man uttered a short grunt of surprise before the lithe young ninja landed on top of him.

"Thanks," Yuffie said to the unconscious heap, grinning. "I needed something to break my fall."

Taking the chance to get away while the Avalanchers were distracted, Colvin scrambled along the floor, reaching for one of his henchmens' weapons. Before he could reach it, however, he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Shaken, he looked up to see Vincent staring standing over him.

The gunman looked him over for a moment, as if deciding what to do with him. "Get out of here," he said at last, raising his gun.

"This ain't over," Colvin said, getting up and wiping the blood from his mouth.

"It is, if you've got any sense," Vincent replied.

Colvin and his thugs reluctantly exited the building, having been disarmed by Cid and Cloud.

"Geez, we've gotta stop making friends like this.." Cid said. "Good work, guys."

"Hey, don't forget about me," a young girl's voice came from the other side of the warehouse.

"Yuffie?" Cid asked.

"The one and only," Yuffie replied, approaching her old friends. The young ninja bowed in an exaggerated manner as she neared them. They didn't seem much amused by her theatrics.

Yuffie shrugged. "What?" she asked. "I don't get a 'hello'? 'Nice to see you after all this time?' Not so much as a 'Hey, Yuffie, thanks for saving our sorry butts'?"

"Sorry, we're just a bit on edge lately," Vincent told her.

"I'll say," Yuffie replied. "So, what's up?"

"You mean, aside from my blood pressure?" Cid asked, sighing.

The captain approached the young girl, speaking in a slightly lower tone of voice. "Hey, uh... not to look a gift ninja in the mouth or anything, but... what are you doing here in the first place?"

"She followed me," Cloud explained, speaking up at last. The swordsman uncrossed his arms, walking over to the others. "We bumped into each other in the markets."

"Yeah, and then you took off again without so much as saying goodbye," Yuffie replied. "Come on, guys. What's with the silent treatment? You're acting like we're strangers, all of a sudden."

Vincent walked over to the young ninja, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look, we appreciate your help, but it's better for you not to know," he said.

Yuffie wasn't having any of it. "What is this, your tree house club? 'No girls allowed', is that it?" she replied.

Unhappy as she was at being excluded from the group, she couldn't help but press them a little bit further. A familiar-looking, mischievous grin appeared on her face.

"Oh... oh, I _see_. You're _eloping_, the three of you," Yuffie said, teasing them. "Sneaky. I should have known. Well, don't you worry. Your secret's safe with me," she added, making a mock heart-crossing gesture and holding up her palm.

Her comrades' faces remained conspicuously blank. Clearly, they were not warming up to her sense of humor. Still, she thought, if nothing else, she was at least getting on their nerves, which was always entertaining in and of itself.

"Okay, okay.." she said, throwing her hands up at last. "What are you guys _really_ up to?"

"It really is best if you don't know," Cloud told her. "Trust me."

Yuffie examined the blond swordsman's face. He was looking her right in the eye, and she could see that he was being sincere with her. She knew he could be cold sometimes, but he wasn't generally in the habit of patronizing others. If he said it, he meant it. But ultimately her natural, insatiable curiosity outweighed any warning she might receive, no matter the source.

"Guys... I don't think we're getting rid of her," Cid told them. Yuffie shook her head enthusiastically, as if to underline the captain's words.

"Not a chance in hell, huh?" Vincent asked.

"Nope," Yuffie replied. "Not until you explain what all this is about."

The gunman sighed, gesturing for her to follow them. "Well, come on, then. It's a bit of a story," he said.

"In any case, we need to get out of here," Cloud added. "Those guys'll be back. We'd better be gone by then."

"Yeah... Who were those guys, anyway?" Yuffie asked.

"Just the local criminal wildlife," Cid explained. "We keep bumping into each other. Funny how that works."

"What's that?" Yuffie asked, pointing towards the Blackbird. "It's like a helicopter, only... not."

"It's a military-grade tiltwing aircraft," Cid explained. "Capable of both VTOL and STOL landings. It's fitted with three-bladed prop rotors, customized engine and transmission nacelles, meaning it can switch from horizontal to vertical configuration in twelve seconds flat, mid-flight, which allows us to cover ground at the same speed as a regular aircraft, but also lets us make precision landings without the need of an airport."

The captain paused for breath. "In other words, it's a helicopter, except when it's not. Was there something _specific_ you wanted to know about it, or is this just everyday curiosity?"

"Geez. I was just asking. No need to jump down my throat like that.." Yuffie scoffed. "So, where are we going?" she asked.

"Town called Winter's End," Cloud explained. "It's a bit far from here, so you'd better make sure you have everything you need."

"Indeed," Vincent said. "We seem to have worn out our welcome here, for the time being."

"Oh, wait, wait..." Yuffie said, suddenly remembering something. "I've got to go and get one thing. It's _really_ important."

The young ninja scampered over to the warehouse entrance. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" she told them, as she exited the hangar. "_Promise_."

"We promise," Cloud replied.

"You think we should stay?" Vincent asked, when she was gone.

"Shit, we'll probably find her hanging on the underside of the Blackbird if we don't," Cid replied. "Where's she off to, anyway?"

"Said she needed to go pick something up," Cloud said. "Something important."

"Really, now.." Cid replied, scratching his chin. "Wonder what _that_ could be?"


	6. Mercury

_Music: Hans Zimmer – 'Radical Notion'_

"_There is only one thing worse than being dead. And that is to have never lived at all."  
_-Carradine Cross

**Final Fantasy VII  
****Crimson Fields**

**Chapter VI  
****Mercury**

* * *

It was close to nightfall, and the Blackbird was soaring through the sky above the mountain range that divided the Middle Continent. Inside, Cloud, Yuffie, Cid and Vincent were seated in the cockpit, with Cid and Vincent at the helm, while Cloud and Yuffie occupied the back seats. Yuffie held a giant bag of snacks in her lap, munching loudly on its contents, much to the rest of the crew's chagrin.

"Important, huh?" Cid said.

"Yeah. You know I get airsick, right?" Yuffie replied.

"Not to mention car-sick..." Vincent added.

"..and sea-sick," Cloud finished.

"Uh-huh," Yuffie said, stuffing more snacks into her mouth.

"And the snacks help... how?" Cid asked.

"Keeps my mind off being sick," Yuffie replied.

"Yeah, well..." Cid replied, "these seats are real leather, ya know?"

Yuffie looked down for a moment, examining the fabric of her seat. "So they are," she replied, resuming her snacking.

"So keep the crumbs off the seat, you hear?" Cid told her. "Otherwise you're getting off this plane _before_ we land."

Yuffie shrugged, before stuffing a few more chips in her mouth. She propped her feet up on the back of Vincent's chair, pressing against the back a little more firmly than Vincent would have liked. Given time, the young ninja could get under the skin of even the most patient person. Vincent was gradually coming to understand that, by ways of first-hand experience.

"So.." Yuffie said, a few crumbs falling from her mouth as she spoke. "I believe you were about to tell me all your dark, dirty little secrets, right?"

Cid sighed. "Right... Where do we start? Where _do_ we start?" he said.

"You ever hear of a group called 'Novus'?" Vincent asked.

"Can't say that I have," Yuffie replied.

"Cloud?" Cid prompted. The captain turned his head over to the group's unofficial leader, who was busy poring over a thin folder marked 'Imprints Located'.

"Give her the list," Cloud said, without looking up.

Vincent reached inside the glove compartment, digging out some papers, then handed them to Yuffie, who leafed through their contents briefly, furrowing her brow in concentration. She looked up at her three companions again, a question mark painted across her face.

"Notice anything out of the ordinary?" Vincent asked. "Something these people have in common?"

Yuffie examined the list once again, trying to spot a pattern. "They're all dead?" she ventured.

"Right," Cid said. "And..?"

Yuffie took yet another look at the list, still uncertain of what they were waiting for her to deduce. "They all had ties with Shinra?" she said.

"Bingo," Cid replied.

"So.." Yuffie said, waiting for someone to fill in the blanks.

"So..." Cid repeated. No-one else said anything, as though they were still waiting for something to sink in.

"So what?" Yuffie shrugged, handing the list back to Vincent. "Lots of people died during the Meteor crash. Some of'em worked for Shinra."

"And some of them may not be quite as dead as we thought," Cloud said, glancing at her, an unusually grave look on his face. Vincent, too, was eyeing the young ninja intensely in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"...What are you talking about?" Yuffie said, perplexed.

"Let's try something else," Cloud said, setting his folder aside. "You recognize this guy?" he asked, handing Yuffie a photograph. Yuffie, examined the photo carefully, then shook her head. In it was pictured a tall man in a thick black coat and hat. Though the man himself was well built, his ivory face had a skeletal quality to it, the muscles of his face pendulous and gaunt. The figure presented a seemingly friendly smile, which did little to alleviate his ghoulish appearance. The photograph itself looked very old, and was almost assuredly an antique.

"That's Dr. Cross," Cloud said.

"Who?" Yuffie asked.

"Carradine Cross," Vincent explained. "The 'Miracle Man'. They said he could cure any disease. Heal you of any ailment.."

The gunman pocketed the photograph, leaning back in his seat again. "Some say he even possessed the power to raise the dead," he continued. "He was also one of the foremost scholars regarding the Lifestream in his time. He wrote a great deal on the subject. Much of what we know about it today derives directly from his work."

"In short, he was a gifted scientist and physician," Cloud said. "But he was as sinister as he was brilliant."

"How so?" Yuffie asked.

"He built himself a mansion in what is now Junon, using the wealth he had amassed through his work and his reputation," Cloud explained. "Fitted it with all sorts of traps, torture devices, hidden passages, corridors that lead nowhere.."

"A gas chamber, even," Vincent added.

"A real horror house," Cid said. "His own private torture palace."

"How come no-one ever found out?" Yuffie asked.

"He had it built piecemeal," Cloud explained. " He'd fire the builders and hire new ones from time to time, so no-one could keep track of the work."

"After that, he went to town, disappearing people inside that place," Cid said. "Poor bastards.."

"And no-one ever caught him?" Yuffie asked.

"People found out eventually, when one too many innocents had disappeared," Vincent said.

"And they were not happy, to say the least," Cid said. "The whole town gathered around the place one night, pitchforks and torches in hand, ready to burn the son of a bitch alive."

"So, what happened?" Yuffie asked. "Did they get him?"

"Almost," Cloud said.

"Almost?"

"Before they could apprehend Cross, he sealed himself inside his basement laboratory," Vincent explained. "Filled a stone casket with preservative chemicals and submerged himself, just as the townspeople forced their way inside. It killed him instantly."

"But left his body perfectly preserved," Cloud added.

"Supposedly, his last words before his fatal act were 'I will not go quietly. You have not seen the last of me'." Vincent said.

"Yeah... he was brilliant, all right," Cid said, shaking his head. "And completely insane."

"Wait, you said, 'in his time'.." Yuffie said. "How long ago was this, exactly?"

"About a century or so," Cloud replied. "It was about the time when Mako was first discovered."

"He sounds like the Professor Hojo of his time," Yuffie said.

"More or less," Vincent said. "They certainly have quite a bit in common. Most of it vile."

"Vile, huh?" Yuffie asked, leaning further back, pressing her feet slightly harder against the back of Vincent's seat.

"Indeed," Vincent said, turning to face Yuffie again. "I believe he was especially fond of dissecting petite, raven-haired beauties. While they were still alive and conscious, of course."

The gunman spoke the last words whilst staring intently at Yuffie. Much to his dismay, she remained completely oblivious to his attempt at heckling her in retaliation for wearing on his nerves.

"Okay..." Yuffie paused, still not sure what her comrades were getting at with their story. "So what's this creepshow got to do with us?" she asked.

"You know how he claimed he could bring people back from the dead?" Vincent asked. "It seems as though someone has started taking him at his word."

"Wait..." Yuffie said. "You're saying someone is trying to bring people back from the dead?"

"No," Cloud said. "We're saying that someone might already have succeeded."

* * *

Evelyn strained to open her eyes. She could sense herself waking up from a deep torpor, as though still intoxicated. All she could remember was exiting the new opera house in Junon, and then darkness. As she tried to get up, she found her hands and feet constrained. Opening her eyes more fully, she realized that she was fastened to a table of some kind.

She moved her head around as best she could, taking in her surroundings. The room she was in was poorly lit, and most resembled a doctor's office or a small operating suite. The walls were lined with old medical charts and graphs, and there was even a plastic skeleton in the corner, gradually falling apart by the looks of it. The whole place seemed rotted away by time and disuse, the walls caked with yellowing, flaking wallpaper and the floor's tiles loose and broken.

As she took all this in, she noticed a figure seated in the corner. His black garb had kept her from seeing him begin with, but she realized now that the man had been watching her the whole time.

She tried to speak, but the gag in her mouth muffled her voice.

"Ah, you're awake," the man in the corner said, smiling and closing the book he had been reading. "We can begin."

The man stood up, moving over to Evelyn. Rotating a winch underneath her, he raised the operating table to a vertical position. Then he faced Evelyn directly, examining her features carefully.

Evelyn examined her captor as well. His demeanor was genteel, yet his features were oddly repellent. His pale face seemed dilapidated somehow, as though it had begun to rot away despite its owner still being alive. His choice of clothing seemed to suggest the role of an undertaker, which did little to calm her anxiety.

Cross noted the questioning look in her eyes. "I know what you're thinking," he said, offering a genial smile. "And I shall tell you the answer: Yes, I am going to kill you."

The man's words sent terror into Evelyn's heart, and she tried to scream, but the gag prevented her from making anything more than muffled sobs. Tears trickled down her cheeks, painting them dark with her make-up.

"Now, now... that won't be right away," Cross told her, brushing her cheek. Evelyn recoiled from his touch, which only seemed to amuse him further.

"Perhaps you're wondering why I'm telling you this," Cross said, walking over a table laid with medical instruments. Evelyn watched him as he reached for a small scalpel, one of the many unpleasant-looking cutting tools laid thereupon. "'Surely', you might think, 'if this man wanted me dead, he would have killed me already'."

"But you see, I want more from you than your life, Evelyn," Dr. Cross said, approaching her again. "_Much_ more.."

Evelyn's eyes went wide. She struggled against her restraints in vain. Again, her captor seemed merely amused.

"No, no... Nothing so base as that," Dr. Cross said, shaking his head. "I am not so vulgar a man, I assure you."

The doctor moved away from her, circling the table as he spoke. "Let me ask you this... You've lived your entire life in safety, but have you ever had to _fight_ for anything? Have you ever had to _struggle_?"

He examined her again, now with a grave look upon his face. "You have not," he said. "And neither have most people. They merely move from day to day like shadows, to their next meal. Their next rest. The next day of toil. Never tested, never striving."

Dr. Cross turned away from her, sighing. "How empty a life.." he lamented. "Where is the vigor, I ask you?" he said, walking faster and gesturing more forcefully, as though slowly working himself up into a frenzy. "Where's the conflict? The exertion? Contending for your lot? Wondering if your next breath will be your last? Earning your place instead of just taking it for granted?"

Cross was nearly shouting now, his breathing more rapid and his face flush with what little color could penetrate its pallor. "Truly, I tell you..." he said, pointing his scalpel at Evelyn. "There is only one thing worse than being dead... and that is never to have lived at all."

He moved in closer, his heavy breathing falling upon her skin. "And by the time you are dead," he whispered in her ear. "I promise you, you shall have lived more in a single moment than you have in your entire life."

The blade cut. Evelyn screamed.

Cross smiled.

* * *

"Okay, this is a joke, right?" Yuffie said. "You guys are jerking me around. You don't want to tell me what you're really up to, do you?"

"We just did," Vincent said.

"Look, I know it's hard to believe," Cloud said. "We didn't buy it at first, either. But the pattern fits."

Yuffie furrowed her brow. "What pattern?"

Cloud looked away for a second, gazing out the window, watching the ground rushing by beneath the Blackbird. "A few months ago I was investigating the remnants of old Shinra outposts. They used to have a lot of secret research facilities like the one in Nibelheim. Places where they could conduct some of their more ethically questionable experiments. Places where people like Hojo could thrive.."

He paused for a moment, deep in thought. His recollection, it seemed, was stirring up some old, unpleasant memories. "Between the Mako years and now, a lot of people vanished within these facilities," he continued. "I needed to find out if there were any such places still in operation. Make sure there weren't any victims left behind in the aftermath of Shinra's demise."

"You were trying to dig up their old secrets," Yuffie said.

"Yeah," Cloud said, facing her again. "But for the most part, I came up empty. I did find quite a few facilities that had been built by Shinra over the years, but most of them had been abandoned a long time ago. I'd hit a dead end, and I was about ready to give up."

"And then?" Yuffie asked.

Cloud handed her the file he had been leafing through. "Then I came across Novus. Just rumors at first. Signs of a group gathering resources for some unknown purpose. At first, I thought they might just be another Shinra revivalist group.."

"Shinra revivalists?" Yuffie asked, surprised. "Why would anyone want Shinra back?"

"You must understand something," Vincent said. "The destruction of Shinra didn't just signal the end of one corporation. It was the end of an era. The fall of an empire. And in its wake, a lot of resources were simply left behind. Reactors, research labs, weapons caches.."

"Not to mention the people whose livelihoods were provided by Shinra, suddenly displaced and left with nowhere to go. Soldiers and scientists, mainly," Cid pointed out.

"Those people lost everything they had," Cloud told her. "And some of them would do anything to get it back."

"Yeah, but... What about the rest of the world? Don't people remember how bad Shinra were?" Yuffie asked.

"Some do, some don't," Cid said. "What most of them _do_ remember is the official story that Shinra fed them. That includes us being responsible for the whole Meteor debacle. One of the reasons for our warm welcome back in Costa del Sol."

"So, let me get this straight.." Yuffie said. "'Shinra good, Avalanche bad'?"

"You know what they say. No good deed goes unpunished," Vincent said.

"Anyway," Cid said. "'couple of weeks ago, ol' Spikes here comes knockin' on my door, says he's onto something big, and that he needs our help."

"So the three of us continued to look into the Novus group. We made some progress, but they were careful to cover their tracks," Cloud said. "Again, our investigation had hit a dead end, when someone passed us a message, anonymously. 'Novus Vita, Midgar. They know'."

"So we hit the building and made off with their files," Vincent said. "Including the one you're holding right now."

Yuffie looked at the folder in her hands again. "That explosion in Midgar," she said. "I saw something about that on the news. That was you guys?"

"Guilty as charged," Cid said. "Woulda got out a lot easier if Cloud here hadn't decided to play hero."

"You'll thank me in the end," Cloud replied, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "We're still sifting through the data we stole, but it identifies Winter's End as a major staging ground," he said to Yuffie. "From what we can tell, it's been seeing active use for a while now, so that's where we're headed."

"So why haven't you contacted the rest of the team?" Yuffie asked. "We could use their help."

"A few different reasons," Cid explained. "For one, a smaller team means less attention. You walk around with seven people in tow, someone's gonna notice. And in case you hadn't realized, Avalanche ain't exactly the most popular these days, thanks to Shinra's smear campaign."

"And good luck fitting everyone in here," Vincent added.

"Second reason," Cloud continued, "is that they have their own battles to fight right now. Reeve, Tifa, Red, Barret... they're all knee-deep in the reconstruction efforts. We didn't want to pull them away from that at a critical moment."

"Third, and perhaps most important is that we simply don't want to put them in harm's way for no good reason," Vincent said.

"No good reason?" Yuffie asked. "I thought you said these Novus guys were a threat."

"They are," Vincent said. "but the problem is, we haven't been able to discern any clear motive for their actions. So far, they've restricted their actions to raiding old Shinra facilities and munition stores, recruiting allies, and occasionally orchestrating attacks on small population centers, seemingly at random. At first glance, it would seem that they are simply bent on causing havoc for havoc's sake."

"But there's more to it than that," Cloud said. "You start putting the pieces together, a pattern starts to emerge. We still don't know exactly what it is. Only that it has to do with Shinra, the Lifestream... and that list."

"That's what I suspect, anyway," he added, after a short pause. "Vincent thinks we may be dealing with a death cult of some sort. Organized, but with no real motive apart from causing mayhem."

"And my pet theory is that they're all fucking nuts," Cid said. "Pardon my French."

"So the three of you don't totally agree, after all," Yuffie said, crossing her arms. "I'm with Cid on this one. They sound like a bunch of crazies."

"I thought so, too, at first," Cloud said. "But there's something about this particular group. They're too organized for the attacks to be purely random."

"What makes you say that?" Yuffie asked.

"For example, last month, someone raided the Junon History Museum," Cloud said. "At the time, the attack didn't make any sense. The attack was a bloodbath, but the group involved only removed one item. A stone casket."

"Let me guess.." Yuffie said.

"That's right," Cloud replied. "Dr. Cross's casket."

"The one object to survive the burning down of his mansion," Vincent said.

"Still sounds pretty crazy to me," Yuffie said.

"No doubt," Cloud said. "But it's strange. They have all these resources, but they're still maneuvering in the shadows. It points to something larger. There's something behind all of this. A motive. A plan. We just need to find out what it is."

"So who's in charge of all of this?" Yuffie asked. "I mean, they've gotta have a leader, right?"

"There are three names that keep cropping up," Vincent said. "Cross you already know. For a dead man, he's become awfully popular as of late, if the communications we've intercepted are to be taken seriously."

"Then there's this Virgil character," Cloud said. "Him, we don't know much about. Just that he made a lot of money years ago helping Shinra build some of their Mako reactors."

"And last, but not least..." Cid said. "Hojo."

"Hojo?" Yuffie asked. "But I thought he was dead."

"Very dead," Vincent said. "There wasn't even a body left. But Novus are talking about him constantly, now more than ever, it seems."

Yuffie bit her lip. "I'm still not too sure about any of this. Sounds awfully vague."

"Hell, why do you think we're so split on the issue?" Cid asked. "Vince and I were about ready to give up on the whole misadventure when we got our hands on that information cache from Midgar."

"We've probably said too much already," Vincent said. "You shouldn't really be getting involved in this."

"Why not?" Yuffie asked.

"You're too important," Cloud said.

"Wh... what do you mean?" she replied. The young ninja was somewhat taken aback by Cloud's comment. People were generally more disparaging of her role in world affairs, to the point where it didn't even register with her anymore. It sounded as though her friend were trying to pay her a compliment while at the same time attempting to bar her entry to whatever it was that they were doing, which only served to pique her curiosity further. She could feel a slight colour rushing to her cheeks, though she wasn't sure whether it was because she felt honoured or insulted.

"If you ain't noticed, none of us have a country to run," Cid pointed out.

"That's still years from now," Yuffie told him. "Father and I have a deal.."

"Yeah, and you get to honor that deal as long as you don't get yourself killed on some fool's errand," Cid replied.

"Look, I can take care of myself. Did you guys already forget what we all went through together?" Yuffie said, now feeling just a bit more insulted.

"It's not that," Vincent said. "We know you can handle yourself. But if you come with us, you're liable to catch a bullet in the head while prying into the affairs of some fringe group. A group that might turn out to be nothing more than a few well-organized crazies who'll most likely collapse under their own weight, without any assistance from us. Certainly most other Shinra revivalist groups have."

"And that's potentially your whole country's future down the drain for no good reason," Cloud said. "You see what we're saying, right?"

"Yeah, but.." Yuffie began. Much as she hated to admit it, they were right. Wutai depended on her, even if it would be years before she needed to start serving her country in any official capacity. But it was hard for her to accept being excluded from the group. If there was anything she hated more than being bound by her royal ties, it was being left out. With that in mind, a thought occurred to her.

"What if Novus really is a threat, and I do nothing about it?" she asked. "Admit it. You guys could use my help."

"Kid's got a point," Cid said, looking over at Cloud through the rear-view mirror.

"I'll tell you what," Cloud said. "You come with us to Winter's End, and we'll dig around, see what we can find. If we turn up empty, we part ways and you go back to Wutai. Deal?"

"Deal," Yuffie nodded, smiling.

"Don't say we didn't warn you," Cid said.

"All right," Yuffie said. "So, why the three of you, anyway?"

"We told you," Cloud replied. "Smaller group, less profile."

"No," Yuffie said. "I mean... the three of you, specifically. I mean, you could have called up any one of us. Why this particular half of Avalanche?"

"We're not Avalanche anymore, strictly speaking," Cloud said. "We're going by 'Mercury' at the moment."

"'Mercury'?" Yuffie repeated.

"Volatile and bad for your health," Cid pointed out. "Vincent's idea."

"Cheerful as ever, I see," Yuffie said, leaning back in her seat, arms crossed.

"It fits, though," Cloud said. "Back when we were up against Shinra and Sephiroth, none of had a future. Now, some of us do. The reason it's the three of us is, simply put, that we don't have the kind of responsibilities that the rest of the group does."

"In other words, we're the most expendable," Cid concluded.

"You really think it's that likely that one of us will get killed just snooping around?" Yuffie asked.

"Came pretty close last time," Vincent said.

"Let's say one of us does bite the dust, gods forbid," Cid said. "If it happens to one of us, we're not gambling with the reconstruction effort, or an entire nation's future, right?"

Yuffie snorted. "So, the three of you have got a death wish, is that it?"

"No," Cloud replied. "Just no plans for the future."

"What, none of you?" Yuffie asked.

"I've laid the past to rest," Vincent said. "I never expected to be building a future. Might as well try to secure it for others."

"Cloud?" Yuffie asked. "I thought you were trying to build a life in Midgar. You know, with Tifa and all.."

"I was..." Cloud replied. "until I wasn't."

He looked away as he spoke, suddenly cold and distant. The abrupt change in his mood made it clear to her that the topic was off limits, so she decided not to pry further for the time being. She turned her attention to the last remaining member of the new group.

"What about you, Cid?" Yuffie asked. "You've got Shera waiting back home, don't you?"

"Nah," Cid replied. "Cancer got her last week."

Though he spoke the words nonchalantly, Yuffie could detect a note of hurt in his voice. The captain stubbed out his cigarette on an ashtray next to a framed photo of Shera. "I know," he said. "Life's way of telling you it's got a fuckin' sense of humor, right?"

Cloud turned to her once more. "There's no way we can talk you out of coming along?" he asked.

"Not a chance in hell, buster," Yuffie replied. Cloud was hardly surprised by her answer. Sheer, resolute stubbornness remained one of the Yuffie's best, and worst, qualities.

"On your head be it, then," Vincent said.

Explanations concluded, the conversation gradually came to a close. "We've still got a way to go before Winter's End," Cid told them. "You guys might want to catch some shut-eye in the meantime. We'll be there by morning."

"_Okay, Yuffie... What the hell are you getting yourself into this time?" _the young ninja thought. Her eyes were getting heavy with sleep. She leaned back in her seat, watching the mountains and valleys drift by underneath her. It was starting to snow, she noticed. Eventually, the shifting scenery of gray and white gave way to the blackness of sleep.

* * *

Virgil quickened his step as he walked through the laboratory's winding corridors. He was feeling more irate than usual. His lab coat chafed. His eyes itched. Worst of all, he had to talk to Dr. Cross..

It wasn't that Cross was unpleasant company. In fact, he was perfectly amicable at all times, which was what bothered Virgil. Whether he was perusing his notes, discussing the finer points of Mako theory or performing a vivisection on his latest "acquisition", there was always that same maddening calm about him, as though everything were merely a diversion to him; a hobby of sorts, to pass the time. It wound Virgil up at the best of times, and at this late stage in the project, when they could absolutely not afford any delays, his detached attitude was downright infuriating. Virgil tried his best to keep his composure in Cross's company, but it was getting harder to maintain the facade.

He paused outside Cross's operating room for a minute, sighing. Finally, he knocked, and waited. A moment later the door opened, and Cross emerged, his black coat stained with fresh blood.

"Yes?" Cross asked. A smile appeared on his face as he saw who it was. "Ah, Virgil, my dear friend. Is there something I can do for you?"

Virgil took a quick glance into the darkened operating suite behind Cross. He could not make out much, but underneath the operating lights he could see the ragged figure of a young girl, blood trickling through the tattered remains of her clothing. The girl convulsed ever so slightly, indicating that she was not dead, as she had seemed at first.

"Is she still alive?" Virgil asked, indicating the pathetic figure.

"More or less," Cross replied, grinning, which sent a shiver down Virgil's spine. He only hoped that his face didn't betray his mood. That maniacal, calm smirk that seemed ever-present on Cross's face was enough to make his stomach turn. It was one thing to take someone's life, but to take such pleasure in it, such relish, seemed to him distasteful in the extreme. In the beginning, he had struggled to tolerate the Doctor's less than delectable habits, but now he could barely conceal his distaste. He had to remind himself again and again that he needed Cross. For a little while longer, at least..

"Well... whatever it is you're doing, make it quick," Virgil said. "We're evacuating the facility."

"Is there something the matter?" Cross asked.

"Someone's been snooping around," Virgil explained. "They broke into our front in Midgar, made off with some sensitive data. This facility may be compromised as well."

"I take it we are terminating our operations here, then?" Cross asked.

Virgil nodded. "I need you to wrap up quickly. We're moving out soon."

"I see.." Cross replied. "And our mutual friend, has he given his consent?"

"I've already notified him," Virgil said.

"What of the chemicals?" Cross asked. "Are we not still lacking in volume?"

"We can make up for it at one of our other facilities," Virgil said. "At any rate, our research here has reached its limits. Any further time spent on it would just be idling."

"You're not going to operate on the third subject?" Cross asked, cocking his head.

"Only if we have time," Virgil replied. "She wasn't a factor in our plans. Now, we need to be out of here within the next few hours, so hurry it up."

"As you wish," Cross replied, watching as Virgil paced back down the corridor.

Satisfied that the younger man had left, Cross returned to the operating room, closing the door behind him. Gingerly, he picked up another blade from the table. He glanced over at Evelyn. The girl was struggling for breath, still straining weakly against her restraints. The two of them locked eyes for a brief moment, before she looked away again, sobbing.

"Now, my dear," Cross said, approaching the young girl once more, a smile playing across his features. "Where were we?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I'm not dead yet. I'm just too busy to write, lately. Anyway, a rather dialogue-heavy chapter, this one. Have to lay a bit of groundwork before things really get moving. Hope you guys don't mind.

One of the principal villains, Dr. Cross, is loosely based upon Dr. Henry H. Holmes, the serial killer who haunted the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, as documented in Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City". Good read. Recommend you take a look, if you're interested.

Will be writing more when I have the time. Also, thanks to S. Zix for pointing out some errors and oddities, grammatical and otherwise in the earlier chapters. Sorry about not correcting them sooner. This site's file and text management system is a pain to deal with, and has a tendency to ruin my formatting, but I'll try to get the suggested corrections through soon.

Until next time.


	7. Dead End

_Music: Akira Yamaoka - "After Closing Time"_

"_It's a cold day in Hell."  
_-Cid Highwind 

**Crimson Fields**

**Chapter VII  
****Dead End**

* * *

_It had come at last. Our moment in the sun._

_Waves lapped the beach. A warm breeze slithered across my shoulders, and the endless golden sands stretched out before me. A perfect day._

_I could see my friends off in the distance. I waved to them, and they waved back as they approached._

_But they never reached me._

_As I moved to meet them, the sky began to darken, and thunder rolled in the distance. I looked out to the ocean, only to see that the waters, clear a minute ago, were now black as oil. My friends were still some distance from me, but they appeared immaterial now, no more than smoke and vapors._

_I tried to walk towards them, but before I could move, the ground froze underneath my feet, the bright sands turning to pale ice, cracking, shattering._

_And then I'm falling. Falling into the deep, endless nothingness. I can still sense the presence of my friends, but they, too, are slowly falling away from me. Everything is wrong. While I struggle in vain to find purchase in the void, I can feel some part of me, deep down, screaming.._

"_This world is forfeit."_

_Can't move. Can't breathe. Time's up._

_All too soon._

"_This world is a lie."_

* * *

"Wake up. We're here."

Yuffie felt Cloud's hand gently nudging her shoulder.

"Where?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Winter's End," Vincent said.

Still groggy, she peered out the window. All she could see was a mass of white. The outside world seemed to consist of nothing but the howling wind and the snow. The inside of the Blackbird felt colder, as well, she thought, doing her best to keep from shivering. "I can't see a thing," she said.

"Yeah, this snowstorm's been messing with my instruments all morning," Cid replied. "Anyway, it looks like it's clearing up. We should be seeing the town any minute now."

The whiteout gradually gave way to a faint view of a mountain valley and what looked like a cluster of man-made structures.

"That's the town?" Yuffie asked.

"That's it," Cloud replied. "Cid, take us in for a closer look."

"Can do," Cid replied.

The Blackbird slowly circled the village, moving into a gradual descent.

"Doesn't look like anybody's home," Cloud said.

"What's that?" Yuffie asked, pointing out a wired mesh surrounding the town's entrance.

The town, they realized, had been sealed off with a tall chain link fence, with thick coils of barbed wire at the top.

"Barbed wire?" Cid said. "Never a good sign."

"Indeed," Vincent replied. "It seems that someone has cordoned off the whole town."

"To keep people out?" Yuffie asked.

"Or to keep something in," Cloud said.

"Yeah... something definitely ain't right here," Cid said, chewing into the filter of his cigarette.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Vincent said. "Cid, can you take us down there?"

"Doesn't look like we can land here," Cid said. "I'll take us just outside the perimeter. We can get a better look from there."

The Blackbird alighted a few meters away from the village entrance, sending billows of snow powder flying in all directions as it touched down.

"It's cold.." Yuffie said. Even though they were still inside the Blackbird, her breath created a thin cloud of vapor as she spoke.

"Just noticed that, did you?" Cid asked.

"You didn't bring a change of clothes?" Vincent asked.

Yuffie gave him a disapproving look. "A few hours ago I was on vacation. In a tropical paradise. So, no."

"Hey, you're the one who insisted on tagging along," Cid pointed out. "We _did_ warn you."

"You didn't warn me that we'd be flying to the North Pole," Yuffie shot back.

"In any case, we're going in," Vincent said, getting up from his seat. "You can stay and guard the Blackbird if you prefer."

"Hell, no," Yuffie replied, undoing her own seatbelt. "I said I'm coming with you."

Cloud, Cid and Vincent got up and went into the back of the Blackbird. Yuffie struggled with her seatbelt for a minute, before getting up and following them. The three of them were already occupied with equipping themselves for their excursion. Cid was rummaging through a heavy-looking trunk filled with assorted weapons and gadgets, whereas Cloud was busy attaching additional plates of armor to his right arm and shoulder. Vincent, she noticed, had swapped out his business suit for his red cloak and black cuirass.

"Back in 'cloak and dagger mode'?" Yuffie asked. "I thought you ditched those old rags."

"These 'old rags' have kept me alive through more encounters that you could imagine," Vincent replied. "They'll do."

"Shame," Yuffie said. "That business suit looked pretty sharp."

"'Pretty sharp' doesn't ward off the cold," Vincent replied.

"Speaking of which... Here, wear this," Cloud said, handing her a long, grey coat. "It's not much, but it'll keep you from freezing to death, at least."

"Thanks," Yuffie replied, slipping the coat on.

"You packing anything, by the way?" Cid asked. "Aside from that giant pinwheel of yours?"

"I'm covered," Yuffie said, patting the side of her left leg, where she had a number of small throwing blades tucked away. "I did pack a few goodies before I left, y'know. How about you guys?"

"Travelling light today," Vincent said, loading up a small pistol, before stowing it away inside his cloak. "I'm only carrying three guns."

"Only three, huh?" Yuffie asked. "So, what are you bringing to the party?" she said, turning to Cid.

"Here, check this out," Cid replied, handing her a short staff with bladed tips at each end. She noticed a pair of buttons in the middle, which she pressed in unison, causing the staff to expand into a full-fledged polearm, nearly skewering both their faces in the process.

"Whoa," Yuffie said, startled by the sudden transformation. Cid took the weapon from her hands, retracting the blades again. "Careful with that," he said. "Easier to carry around than a full-size spear, I figured," he added.

"Oh, and don't forget to grab some materia," Vincent said. "Rather basic selection, but you know what they say about beggars and choosers," he added, opening up a grey case filled with the multicolored orbs.

"Got any wind materia?" Yuffie asked.

"That's a new one on you, ain't it?" Cid asked. "I thought you always went with water."

Yuffie shrugged. "I'm branching out. It's this one, right?" she said, picking out one of the orbs.

"Lightning for me," Vincent said. "Cloud?"

"I'll take fire," Cloud replied, without turning to the others.

"And here I was, hoping that pyromania was just a passing phase for you," Cid muttered, as Vincent tossed him the crimson orb. "What's left?"

"Ice or earth," Vincent said. "Which will it be?"

The captain furrowed his brow, as if to say "Are you daft or something?"

Vincent sighed. "Earth it is," he said, handing Cid the last orb.

"All right, let's get moving," Cid said. "Cloud, you coming?"

"In a minute," Cloud replied. Though the others were more or less ready, he was still in the process of putting his gear together, and almost seemed to be ignoring their hurry on purpose. Cid was in no mood to wait, however.

"Fine, just don't forget to lock this thing up when you're done," he grumbled. The captain swung the Blackbird's side door open, letting a gust of cold air into the vehicle.

"All right, move it, you mopes," Cid said, gesturing for the others to get out. "This town ain't gonna explore itself."

Despite her reservations, Yuffie got out first, making deep impressions in the snow as she dropped down to the ground. Vincent stepped out next, followed by Cid. The three of them made their way through the snow, the cold burrowing its way into their skin as they trudged up towards the chain link fence that sealed Winter's End off from the rest of the world.

As they approached, they noticed the large, yellow signs attached to the fence at regular intervals.

WARNING: BIOHAZARD

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

"Well, fuck me," Cid said. "And here I am without my hazmat suit."

"It could just be to scare people off," Yuffie said.

"I think she may be right," Vincent said. "We didn't pick anything up on our instruments when we did our flyover."

"You sure about that?" Cid asked.

"Yes," Vincent replied. "No contaminants in the air, anyway. We won't catch anything simply by breathing."

"So, we're not gonna choke to death, at any rate," Cid said. "Good to know we can cross one horrible way of dying off our list."

Yuffie approached the fence. "Why is it humming like that?" she asked, reaching out to touch it. Before her hand could make contact, however, Vincent snatched it away.

"It's electrified," he explained, still clasping the young ninja's hand.

"How are we gonna get through that?" Yuffie asked, pulling her hand from Vincent's grasp.

Before either of them could answer, the Blackbird's side door slid open again. Cloud, now fully geared up, dropped from the airship to the ground below, marching right past his comrades, towards the fence.

Fully armored, he struck a more warlike figure than he had in Costa del Sol, Yuffie noticed. Usually, the blond swordsman preferred to travel light, but today he was outfitted for a protracted battle, by the look of it. He still made little attempt to hide his buster blade, but his new outfit seemed specifically crafted to conceal other weapons besides.

Without a word, he drew his blade, and in quick motion made three clean cuts into the fence, hacking through the links as though they were made of paper. Having made the cuts, he then proceeded to kick in the portion of fence he had cut open, creating an entrance for them.

The others gave him an odd look on account of his brusque manner. He held up the hilt of his blade, patting the material. "Insulation," he explained.

"Right.." Vincent said. "Well, shall we?"

The four of them proceeded past the enclosure and into the town. The snow had stopped, but the cold wind still blew through the seemingly deserted hamlet, draining away what little heat they had brought with them from inside the Blackbird.

"Winter's End. Right. I hope whoever named this dump did it as a joke," Cid grumbled.

"Man, this place is dead.." Yuffie said, looking around. Not a soul was to be seen wandering the town's cobblestone streets. Not a sound could be heard. Most of the doors and windows of Winter's End's sundry buildings were left shuttered or entirely removed. It was apparent that nobody had been living here for a long time.

"Yeah, it's like Nibelheim, only less exciting," Cid replied.

They approached the town's central square, which was built around an old well. One of the buildings, larger than those around it, seemed to be in somewhat better condition than the others, but still appeared as though it had not seen any real use for a good while. The town hall, perhaps.

"So, where's the lab?" Vincent asked.

"It's supposed to be somewhere underground," Cloud replied. "There's probably a main entrance somewhere in the mountains beyond the town, but these labs tended to have auxiliary entrances, emergency exits, things like that. If it's underneath the town, it stands to reason that there's an entrance somewhere in the village itself."

"So... if I were the entrance to an underground lab, where would I be hiding?" Cid asked.

The four of them looked at each other, then at the well in the center of the square.

"The well?" Vincent asked.

"The well," Cloud confirmed.

They walked over to the well, tearing off the flimsy wooden structure built on top to reveal the opening. The shaft was pitch dark, making it impossible to see more than a few feet downwards. Iron bars were set into one side of the shaft in a vertical array for use as rungs. Yuffie dug out a loose cobblestone from the worn street, letting it drop into the shaft, and the four of them listened carefully for a sound. After a couple of seconds, they could hear a faint thud at the bottom. If the well had ever been used to draw water, it had long since ceased to serve that function.

"So, who wants to go first?" Yuffie asked.

"You volunteering?" Cid replied.

Yuffie peered down into the blackness below. "Ugh... did something die down there?" she asked, recoiling from the stench. "No way I'm going in."

"It's the winter or the well, princess," Cid said. "Which is it gonna be?"

"Doesn't seem like such a wise idea to cram everyone in there at once," Vincent said.

"You really want to split up?" Cid asked. "You know bad things tend to happen when we split up."

"Cid and I will take a look first," Cloud said. "Yuffie, you and Vincent keep an eye out while we're down there."

"Very well," Vincent replied.

"Just hurry back. It's freezing out here," Yuffie said, rubbing her arms.

Cloud and Cid moved over to the opening, and began climbing down the ladder into the darkness below. "Christ... I can't see a thing down here.." Cid said. "You got a light?"

Cloud brought out his fire materia, focusing a tiny part of its energy outwards, enough to make it glow faintly, without triggering a full-blown reaction. It was said that it took more practice to control materia than to simply use it. Keeping it from turning the well into an inferno took some concentration, but his training ensured that the orb's power remained under control without too much exertion.

"Man, Yuffie wasn't kidding. This place reeks.." Cid grumbled as they climbed down the ladder.

The two of them quickly reached the bottom of the well, which was indeed bone dry. Though they were deep down in the shaft, they could still hear the chill wind blowing overhead.

"Cid, look.." Cloud said, pointing out a hollow in the shaft, opposite the ladder.

"Well, I'll be damned.." Cid said, looking at the opening. It was a doorway, and no mistake.

Cloud pressed a finger against his earpiece, activating his radio link. "We've reached the bottom," he informed Vincent. "There's a tunnel down here. It looks like it leads further underground. Are you guys okay up there?"

"Yes," came Vincent's terse reply.

"Okay," Cloud said. "We're heading in. We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Don't take too long," Vincent replied. "Our new recruit doesn't seem to be doing so well with the cold."

"We'll be quick," Cloud replied.

He nodded to Cid, who was lighting a couple of glow sticks. "A bit more practical than your method," he said as they headed down into the tunnel.

The tunnel was clearly hewn with intent to be used as a passage, rather than a creation of purely natural forces. The sides of the roof were lined with fluorescent light bulbs and electrical wiring, though everything was switched off at the moment. A faint wind still blew through the tunnel, even as they moved away from the well's opening, giving the effect of a ghostly wail.

"Boy, am I glad I'm not claustrophobic," Cid said. "Cloud, you claustrophobic?"

"No," Cloud replied dryly.

"Good, me neither. No siree..." Cid said, eyeing the tunnel walls warily. "Did I mention that I don't like narrow spaces?"

As they moved further inside, the tunnel began to branch off in different directions, though the electric cables seemed to extend largely in the same direction, with only a few directed down the ancillary tunnels. After a while, they reached a concrete wall, in which was set a round vault door. The door was heavily armored, and it seemed to have been installed quite recently.

Cid knocked on the door, which looked to be virtually impenetrable. He tried the locking mechanism. Not only would it not move, but it seemed to lack power entirely.

"Looks like we've hit a dead end" Cid said.

"Maybe not," Cloud said, opening up a panel in the wall next to the door. He tinkered with the switches inside for a minute, after which the panel's insides lit up, and a loud series of clicking sounds could be heard coming from the door's side.

"Auxiliary power," he explained. "Shinra emergency protocol."

"Huh... fancy that." Cid said, rubbing his bristled chin. "You learn that in SOLDIER?"

"Never made it in, remember?" Cloud replied. "But yeah, I learned some things during my time with Shinra."

"No doubt," Cid said. "All right, let's get this thing open."

Cloud tapped a few keys on the panel. The vault door jerked out of its place, but wouldn't open more than a few inches.

"Looks like the mechanism's stuck," Cid said. "We'll have to dislodge it."

"Any suggestions?" Cloud asked.

Cid responded by drawing a stick of dynamite from his jacket's front pocket.

"And you say _I_ lack subtlety," Cloud said.

"Don't worry, it's a firecracker compared to my usual set," Cid reassured him.

"And if it brings the tunnel down on our heads?" Cloud asked.

"Then you can chew me out in the afterlife," Cid replied. "It'll be fine. Trust me."

"Do I have a choice?" Cloud asked.

* * *

Yuffie circled the well, patting her arms in a vain attempt to keep warm. Vincent stood by, examining the buildings off in the distance.

"Vincent, you there?" a voice came on his radio link.

"Are you doing all right down there?" Vincent asked.

"We found an entrance," Cloud replied. "The lab's definitely somewhere beyond it, but we need to get it open. Cid suggested dynamite."

"Naturally," Vincent replied.

"Anyway, we'll let you know when we've breached it," Cloud said. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're fine, at the moment. No sign of any activity," Vincent said, glancing over at his companion. "Yuffie's not doing so well with the cold, though."

"We'll be back soon," Cloud said. "Sit tight."

"All right," Vincent replied.

He waited a moment longer, looking over at the town hall. It seemed inviting enough, despite the lack of inhabitants.

"Are you cold?" he asked, looking over at where Yuffie was standing.

"We're gonna be icicles by the time they get back," Yuffie replied, her teeth nearly chattering.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Vincent said. "Frostbite will do us in first."

She gave him a dirty look. The young ninja clearly did not appreciate his sense of humor.

"Why don't we take a look inside?" Vincent suggested, gesturing towards the town hall.

"Anything to get out of this weather," Yuffie replied. "It's way too quiet here. Nothing's moving. Like this place is frozen in time or something."

"'As idle as a painted ship, upon a painted ocean'," Vincent remarked as they walked towards the building.

Yuffie gave him another odd look.

"An old poem," he explained.

"Vincent, you need to get out more," she told him, entering the building before he had a chance to retort.

"...I _am_ out," Vincent replied.

"No, I mean like, _out_, you know?" Yuffie said, as he entered the building. "Socialize and stuff. Meet new people."

"Does shooting people count?" Vincent asked.

"...Never mind," Yuffie replied.

The inside of the town hall was dark and still. A narrow staircase behind the reception desk led upwards. Behind the reception were a couple of rooms, a dining hall and what looked like a study. The tables, chairs and other furniture sat undisturbed, gathering dust. A grandfather clock dutifully ticked away somewhere inside the building.

"Where'd all the people go?" Yuffie asked.

"It doesn't look like they fled the place," Vincent replied. "Not in a panic, anyway."

The two of them moved into the study. Yuffie peered out the window, while Vincent walked towards the fireplace. He reached down, poking at the hearth's contents.

"The ashes are still warm," he noted. The gunman stood up, pressing a finger against his earpiece. "Cloud? Are you there?"

"What's up?"

"Someone's been here recently," Vincent informed him. "Be on your guard."

"Right."

"You breach that door yet?" Vincent asked.

"We're about to," Cid replied. "You might feel a slight quake."

"I'll bear that in mind," Vincent said.

He looked towards the windows. Outside, there was little to be seen except for seemingly endless fields of snow. On the table next to the main windows lay a small log book. He picked up the book, and began to leaf through it, examining the last entries.

_-Sunday-_

_A group of soldiers arrived at Winter's End today. They talked about about a possible contagion, and sealing off the town for its own protection. The people are scared, but the soldiers have assured us that all will be well. They have ordered us to remain inside our homes for the time being._

_-Monday-_

_Today, I approached one of the soldiers and asked him what authority they represented. It hadn't occurred to me to ask yesterday, what with the tumult that their arrival caused. He simply looked at me as if I hadn't said anything, then got back to his task. For some reason, the soldiers seem very interested in the area near the mountains. They've brought in some industrial machinery, and are setting up not far from the town cemetery. Still have no idea what they're hoping to discover. They're working around the clock, from what I can tell. The noises from their operation are keeping me awake at night, I know that much._

_-Tuesday-_

_They are finished cordoning off the town. Winter's End is now completely cut off from the outside world. No-one enters or leaves. The people are still worried, and no-one seems forthcoming with answers about this "plague" that the soldiers keep talking about. They haven't mentioned whether it is airborne, or if it spreads by some other means. Their helmets have gas masks installed, but they haven't handed any out to us, so maybe it's just part of their standard equipment. Still, I would feel better knowing that we're not at risk of being infected._

_There's something else that's been bothering me from the beginning. If this is really a plague that we're dealing with, why are they carrying guns?_

_-Wednesday-_

_Today, I overheard two of the soldiers talking about some organization called 'Novus'. When I approached them to ask about it, they suddenly became very quiet, and told me to get back inside._

_-Thursday-_

_Rumors are starting to circulate about people disappearing. We're told to keep inside at all times, so I have no way to confirm this, but I try to bring the subject up whenever I manage to get in contact with the other villagers. When the soldiers aren't within earshot, of course._

_-Friday-_

_Someone new in the village today. A scientist, by the look of it. Blond, frizzy hair and a lab coat. Early forties, maybe. He seemed somehow nervous or agitated, and kept reprimanding his soldiers about something or other. They walked him around town, inspecting the various buildings. Or perhaps not the buildings so much as their inhabitants._

_I've got a bad feeling about this whole situation._

_-Saturday-_

_These rations taste like dirt._

_-Sunday-_

_I haven't seen any movement in the other houses lately. The soldiers forced all of my guests into other lodgings, and have kept most of us separate from one another during the decontamination effort. I feel like I'm the only person left in this town._

_Maybe I am._

_-S. Markham, proprietor and mayor._

Yuffie looked over at Vincent as he read the last entry. "Something bad happened here... didn't it?" she asked, observing the somber look on his face.

"Yes," Vincent replied, closing the logbook and dropping it off on a nearby table. He proceeded up the stairs behind the reception desk, and into one of the guest rooms upstairs, looking for a better view of the mountains. Yuffie followed him, unsure of what it was that he was hoping to find.

Wiping the condensation from one of the bedroom windows, Vincent peered out into the cold wasteland. There seemed to be little besides snow and mountains beyond the town, but his eye caught something else in the distance. A vehicle. From his vantage point, he could only make out the faintest of details, but he thought he could see the hydraulic arm of an excavator.

"What is it?" Yuffie asked.

Without answering, Vincent headed back downstairs.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Yuffie shouted.

"Outside," Vincent replied, heading out the door.

"Great.." Yuffie said, wrapping her coat around herself as she followed him back out into the cold.

* * *

"You ready?" Cid asked.

Cloud nodded.

"Here goes.." Cid said, lighting the fuse. The two of them watched from behind their cover in one of the side tunnel entrances as the tiny flame snaked up the cord, disappearing into the darkness. A few seconds passed, before the tunnel was suddenly rocked by an explosion, reverberating throughout the tunnel. As small as the explosion itself had been, its shockwave was greatly amplified by the closeness of the surrounding walls, causing the two of them to nearly lose their footing.

"Well, if anyone's home, we've sure as hell got their attention now," Cid said, dusting himself off.

"At least we didn't get caved in," Cloud replied. The two of them walked back over to the entrance, and proceeded to force the vault door open. It still did not move very far, but they managed to pry it open wide enough to fit through.

Cloud pressed his earpiece. "Vincent, we've breached the door," he said. There was no reply, and only static could be heard on his comm link.

"No answer," he told Cid. "The tunnel must be interfering with our transmissions."

A brief burst of static came over the comm link.

"What's that? You're breaking up," Cid said. He looked over at Cloud, shaking his head. "No good, the link's dead. You still want to check this place out?"

"We'll take a quick look, then head back," Cloud said.

The two of them made their way through the narrow opening and into the tunnel on the other side. Unlike the well's tunnels, the tunnel behind the door was regularly shaped and well lit. A corridor of concrete and steel, lit up by a row of fluorescent lights. Signs were placed on the walls at regular intervals detailing various safety protocols. Each sign was underscored by the title of the facility's owner: Shinra Electric Power Company.

"Looks like the real deal," Cid said. "So what do you think they're hiding down here?"

"Only one way to find out," Cloud replied.

As the two of them walked down the corridor, the lights began to flicker sporadically. A hideous mechanical noise could be heard coming from somewhere behind them, like the howl of a wounded animal. They turned back in time to see the vault door jerk back into place, sealing itself again.

They rushed over, attempting to force the door open again, but it was clear that it wasn't going to budge without the use of heavy equipment, having locked itself back inside its now disfigured mechanical frame.

"Well, fuck me," Cid said, wiping his brow.

"There's got to be another exit around here," Cloud said.

"Yeah, well... we'd better find it before someone finds _us_," Cid replied.

* * *

Yuffie and Vincent trudged through the snow, away from the village and towards the mountains beyond. As they walked, the ground suddenly rocked underneath their feet. In the distance, the sound of an explosion echoed from underneath the town, and a fountain of dust burst from the well's opening.

"What was that?" Yuffie asked, turning to look back at the village.

"The sound of progress," Vincent replied, marching onwards through the cold. He thought he could hear a faint static on his comm link. Pressing his own earpiece, he tried to get a connection, but there was no answer. He walked on through the winter wasteland, deciding that it was probably just interference.

The two of them kept walking, eventually coming to a closed-off yard, dotted with headstones and grave markers, some recent, some ancient. Aside from the expected sights, however, the graveyard was also filled with bulldozers, excavators and other earth moving equipment.

"Yuffie, look.." Vincent said, as he reached the graveyard's entrance.

"What is it?" Yuffie said. She had been trailing behind him for a while, and was still a few steps away from where he stood.

"Someone's dug up the graveyard," Vincent informed her.

"Which graves?" Yuffie asked, walking up the steps to the hill upon which the graveyard was built.

"All of them," Vincent replied.

Her companion was not exaggerating. Whoever had set up shop in Winter's End had an industrial operation going. The machinery looked as though it had been left abandoned there for some time, and was gathering snow and ice.

"It's funny," Vincent remarked as he walked among the unearthed graves. "Usually when someone digs a mass grave, they're trying to put bodies _in_."

"Yeah... no kidding," Yuffie replied, observing the morbid scene. "Someone really went to town on this place."

Every single grave had been overturned and thoroughly emptied, the coffins left smashed on the ground beside them. Not one of the graveyard's inhabitants remained intact, or so it seemed.

"Okay, I can understand the more recent graves, but why would they dig up _all_ of them?" Yuffie asked. "Some of these bodies can't be more than dust by now. It doesn't add up."

"Perhaps they wished to be thorough?" Vincent mused.

"There's more to it than that," Yuffie said. "It's like Cloud said. We're not just dealing a bunch of loonies. I mean, there's few people in their right mind who would put in all this work for nothing, right?"

"And if we are dealing with people... _not_ in their right mind?" Vincent asked.

"Then they're pretty damn well organized for a bunch of crazies," Yuffie replied, wiping the snow off one of the headstones. "It looks like Cloud was right."

"Maybe," Vincent replied.

"You don't think so?" Yuffie asked.

"I'm not eager to jump to conclusions, let's leave it at that," Vincent replied. "But this is... disquieting, to say the least," he added, looking over the disturbed ground.

The two of them took in the ominous scene for a few minutes, doing their best to ignore the cold as they looked for any sign of where the graves' inhabitants might have been taken. As she wandered among the empty graves, Yuffie looked up towards the mountains to see a figure watching them in the distance.

The figure was hard to make out, but it looked like a woman, dressed nearly from head to toe in black. Yuffie squinted for a second, trying to see better. The figure watched them intently for a moment, unmoving. Her outfit made it difficult to make out any details, but there was something... _off_ about her face.

"Vincent, look!" Yuffie called, finally breaking away from the figure's gaze.

"What is it?" Vincent asked, moving up next to her.

"There's someone up there," Yuffie told him, pointing to where the woman had been standing. But there was no-one to be seen.

"Where?" Vincent asked.

"She was there a minute ago," Yuffie said.

"I don't see anyone," Vincent replied.

"I'm telling you, she was right there," Yuffie insisted.

"Are you sure you're not just seeing things?" Vincent asked.

"I'm not lying, Vincent. I _know_ I saw something," Yuffie replied.

"Look, we should head back into town," Vincent said. "The weather is getting worse by the minute. We don't want to get caught out here when the next storm hits."

Yuffie, though frustrated by Vincent's refusal to believe her, couldn't argue with him. The wind was picking up again, and snow was starting to fall in droves once more. It wouldn't be long before it became impossible for them to see anything out here.

As they made their way back down the hill, a low growling noise could be heard just off to the side of the graveyard.

"What's that sound?" Yuffie asked.

"Wolves," Vincent replied, drawing his gun.

* * *

Cid and Cloud walked down the tunnel, which seemed to go on forever. The entrance they had taken was far behind them, the tunnel itself twisting and turning, growing wider and narrower at random intervals.

"Hey, Cloud... What are these things in the walls?" Cid asked, eyeing the heavy patches of plastic compounds lining the tunnel walls.

"Explosive charges," Cloud replied. "Part of the facility's self-destruct mechanism, no doubt."

"Kinda seems like overkill," Cid said. "They must've packed every corner with the stuff."

"Normally a demo crew would just blast the key points, but Shinra liked to be thorough with places like this," Cloud replied. "Protocol was to demolish everything, one section at a time, just in case."

"Lovely," Cid remarked.

"The good news is, they're not switched on," Cloud pointed out. "No lights."

"I feel better already," Cid replied. "So, any bright ideas on how to get out of here?"

"Like I said, a place like this would have to have more than one exit," Cloud said. "There's probably somewhere near the mountains. They'd need vehicles to move equipment around, so maybe there's a garage somewhere nearby."

"And a tunnel for driving through," Cid replied "Chances of that just being left wide open for us?"

"Slim," Cloud replied. "We'll have to find the control room."

"Sounds like a plan," Cid said.

As they walked down the tunnel, they could hear footsteps approaching. Peering out from the corner, Cloud spotted two soldiers approaching them. "Patrol," he told Cid.

"Coming to investigate the explosion, no doubt," Cid replied. "How do you want to handle this?"

As the two soldiers neared the corner, Cid stepped out in front of them. greeting them with a nonchalant smile. "'scuse me. I was looking for the bathroom.." he began.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers shouted, pointing his rifle at him. Cid complied, placing his hands behind his head. The other soldier approached him, and began to pat him down.

"Hey, you're not taking my smokes, are ya?" Cid asked, as the soldier removed the pack of Lady Luck brand cigarettes from his pocket. Moving behind the captain, he spotted a cylindrical device of some sort, which he also confiscated.

"He's clean," he informed the other soldier, who still had his rifle trained on Cid. The former tossed the cylinder over to the latter, who then resumed his defensive position.

"Careful with that," Cid said.

As he spoke, Cloud emerged from behind the corner, grabbing the soldier behind Cid in a headlock. The second soldier, distracted by his appearance, took his eyes off the captain long enough for him to bat his rifle away and catch hold of his own weapon. As the two struggled, Cid hit the button on his portable spear, extending it to its proper length, impaling the soldier's foot in the process. Dislodging his weapon, the captain caught him under the chin, rendering the man unconscious.

He looked over to Cloud, who was standing over the other soldier, equally unconscious. "Child's play," he said, cleaning the blood from the tip of his spear, retracting it again.

"We still need to find a way out," Cloud replied.

"Check their pockets," Cid said. "See if you can find a radio. Maybe I can patch into their comm system."

The two of them set about going through the soldiers' equipment. Cloud stripped their weaponry and removed their ammunition, while Cid salvaged their radio equipment. He examined the two radios, comparing their settings and hardware with that of his own.

"You think you can get through the walls with that?" Cloud asked.

"Maybe. Gimme a sec," Cid replied.

As he fiddled with the radios, a voice suddenly came over one of them. "Bravo Three, come in."

"Uh-oh," Cid said.

"Bravo Three, respond," the voice demanded, having received no reply. "Do you need assistance?"

"What do we do?" Cid asked.

"Convince them that we don't," Cloud said.

"Here," Cid replied, handing him the radio. "You know all that Semper Fi shit."

Cloud accepted the radio, clearing his throat. "Bravo Actual, this is Bravo Three responding," he said.

"What's your status, Bravo Three?"

"En route to disturbance," Cloud replied.

"Do you need assistance?" the voice asked again.

"Negative."

"Understood. Report back to base when finished. How copy?"

"Solid copy, Bravo Actual," Cloud finished, switching the radio off.

"You think they bought it?" Cid asked.

"For now," Cloud said, handing back the radio. "But they're going to figure out eventually that their patrol isn't coming back."

"We'd better get moving, then," Cid said.

Leaving the unconscious soldiers where they lay, the two of them continued down the tunnel.

"Human beings actually talk like that?" Cid asked, as they walked on.

"If you were the marines, yes," Cloud said.

"Glad I went with the Air Force," Cid replied. "Those delta force motherfuckers were all born with sticks up their asses, if you ask me. Uh, present company excepted."

"Still... They're using old Shinra protocols," Cloud said. "Equipment, too. It's like they haven't missed a beat."

"You really think someone's trying to resurrect the old empire?" Cid asked.

"I'd stake my life on it," Cloud replied.

* * *

Moving past the graveyard, Yuffie and Vincent made their way towards the sound they had heard. As they neared the foot of the mountain, they came across a frozen lake. Lying at the bank of the lake was the body of a wolf. The creature stirred, twitching and growling, making hideous noises, as though in great pain.

"What's wrong with it?" Yuffie asked.

Vincent motioned for her to stay back. Approaching the wounded animal with caution, he reached out to examine its wounds. The wolf snarled and snapped at him as he approached, jerking violently, as though trying to rise to its feet, but unable to muster the strength. The beast's coat was matted with a viscous material of some kind, its skin sickly and pendulous, barely holding together.

"Poor thing," Yuffie said.

"We have to put it down," Vincent said. Yuffie nodded, biting her lip. It was grim, but it was all they could do for the dying animal.

The beast turned its gaze towards them one last time, as Vincent took aim. The gunshot echoed throughout the empty valley. The creature's body jerked, then went limp.

Looking over the body of water past the wolf's remains, they realized that it was not a lake, but a natural seep.

"...Mako," Vincent said.

"It looks... wrong," Yuffie said.

Even in its normal state, mako was known to be highly toxic to life. But the pool of mako before them had lost its usual viridian hue, transmuting to a deep crimson, as though somehow tainted or debased. The wellspring gave off a rank odor, and with it what appeared to be noxious fumes rising from its surface. What few animals had dared venture close to the pool, and indeed the vegetation near its banks, were all dead and blackened.

"You think that's what got it?" she asked, looking over to the wolf's body.

"Perhaps," Vincent replied. "We'd better not stay here, in any case."

"Can you reach the others?" Yuffie asked.

Vincent briefly attempted to raise Cid and Cloud on his radio, then shook his head. "Nothing," he said.

The two of them continued on their way through the valley, heading back towards the village. The wind was picking up once more, and the snow was turning to hail. It would not be long before it became impossible for them to see anything at all.

As they walked, they could hear once again the snarling of wolves. Not just one, but a multitude, somewhere close by. Turning around, they spotted several of the beasts approaching them. They made to escape back to the town, but by the time they had realized that they were being followed, they had already been encircled by the pack.

"Maybe putting down that wolf wasn't such a bright idea.." Yuffie said, drawing her weapon.

"No time for hindsight," Vincent replied.

The wolves, perhaps a dozen, surrounded the two of them, but made no move to attack, choosing simply to trap them. As the wolves slowly closed in, Yuffie hazarded another glance towards the mountains. The figure that she had seen earlier had returned. The woman stared at her and Vincent, though with interest or indifference, she could not tell. As she was about to inform Vincent of their observer, the figure wandered off again, casually motioning towards them as she vanished beyond the horizon.

As the mysterious figure disappeared, the wolves suddenly launched into an attack. Yuffie hurriedly slung several throwing stars and knives in their direction, while Vincent fired at the ones closest to them. Despite their best efforts, the beasts closed in, undeterred by their rebukes.

Beset on either side by two of the wolves, Yuffie threw her combat shuriken. It broadly missed the beast, which charged her, leaping up to tear out her throat. Before it could reach its target, however, Yuffie's shuriken struck it squarely in the back of the head during its rebound, immediately robbing the beast of its consciousness. The young ninja caught the shuriken again and, in one swift, simultaneous motion, sliced through the other wolf's jugular as it leapt at her from the opposite side.

The two continued to fend off the wolves' attacks, whittling down their numbers until only one remained. The last of the wolves, and the largest, leapt up, catching Vincent's gauntlet in its teeth, refusing to let go. Vincent wrestled with the beast, forcing its head and body against the ground, pressing his gun against its temple before pulling the trigger. Warm blood sprayed across his face and armor. The gunman rose to his feet again, extricating his arm from the wolf's dead jaws.

"You okay?" Yuffie asked.

"Fine," Vincent replied, wiping the blood from his eyes.

They could hear more howling in the distance. They had defeated the current pack, but there were more wolves on the way. A lot more.

"We need to get inside, now," Vincent said.

Yuffie nodded. The two of them retreated to the village, as the momentary calm gave way to the region's perennial blizzard once more.

* * *

"Looks like they're pulling out," Cid said.

"Yeah," Cloud replied, leaning closer against the glass. "They're not wasting any time."

The two of them observed the Novus personnel on the floor below as they loaded trucks with crates and barrels. The vehicle storage bay below their vantage point was abuzz with activity, with soldiers and scientists moving every which way, hauling equipment out of the facility. Whatever they were doing, they seemed to be in a hurry.

"Awful lot of equipment," Cid said. "Wonder what those containers are.."

"The crates are weapons, most likely," Cloud replied. "As for the barrels, your guess is as good as mine."

"Explains the lack of resistance so far," Cid said. "Everyone's too busy packing up to pay any attention to us."

"We need to find out where they're headed," Cloud said.

"Not to mention get the hell out of here," Cid replied.

Cloud nodded, moving away from the windows. "Let's keep going."

* * *

"They're here," Virgil said, watching the two intruders on the monitor array.

The darkened room was lit only by the row of monitors, a spectral display of black and white security videos, showing different corners of the underground facility. The two interlopers walked down the facility's winding corridors, moving from the vantage point of one camera, only to reappear on another.

"'They'?" the figure on the main monitor inquired.

"The intruders," Virgil said. "The same ones from our dummy corporation in Midgar."

"You're sure of this?" the figure asked.

"I recognize that SOLDIER gear," Virgil replied. "It's modified, but.."

"How is the evacuation coming along?" the figure asked.

"We're nearly finished," Virgil replied.

"Good."

"What do you want me to do about our guests?" Virgil asked.

"Nothing," the figure replied.

"Nothing?" Virgil asked, perplexed.

"We've erased all traces leading back to us," the shadowed figure replied. "By the time they realize they're too late, there won't be anything left of this place."

"And if they stumble upon our data cache?" Virgil asked. "We can't just let them run around unfettered."

"Release the... failures," the figure said, after a moment's consideration. "That should keep them occupied."

"And then?" Virgil asked.

"Terminate the facility."

* * *

Cloud and Cid walked down the flight of stairs, looking for a way into the garage. As they reached the lower floor, they heard a low moan, just around the corner. Moving past the garage, they came to another stairwell, leading to a basement floor containing a row of prison cells. A bloodied figure clothed in tattered rags stood at the far end of the last cell, facing the wall.

"The hell is that?" Cid asked. "That thing's alive?"

The prisoner's appearance was cadaverous, but he seemed to be alive, as indicated by his low, raspy breathing. The figure turned slowly, eyeing its two visitors dumbly as it did.

"Oh, fuck me.." Cid muttered.

The thing in the cell was greatly disfigured, its face dilapidated, falling apart, its jaw hanging well apart from its mouth. There seemed little reason that the wretch before them should be considered alive, apart from the fact that it moved.

"It's human," Cloud said. "Or... it used to be."

Without warning, the ghoul lashed out at them, but was cut short by the prison bars. Nevertheless, Cloud and Cid recoiled to avoid its attack, futile though it was. The ghoul stared blankly at them, reaching as far through the bars as it could, grasping for them ineffectually.

"Damn.." Cid said.

"I don't think we can do much for him," Cloud said. "Let's keep moving."

"Yeah," Cid replied. "Poor bastard.."

They continued down the basement, finally reaching a corridor leading to a further series of rooms. One of them, marked 'Processing', caught their eye. Inside, they found a room filled with gurneys, laid upon which were human bodies in varying condition, ranging from decomposing to merely dead. Pale and flickering fluorescent lights cast a sickly green hue over the whole grisly tableaux.

"Guess we know what happened to the villagers," Cloud said.

Some of the bodies laid out on the gurneys had their hands and feet still lashed to the railings. Most of them showed few signs of struggle, judging by the coloration of their arms and legs. A few of them had bullet holes in their heads, and in those rare cases, they showed definite signs of struggle, wrists and ankles red from the strain. There was not a living one among them.

"Good to see Shinra's kept up its sanitation standards," Cid said, noting the grimy condition of the room.

"Some of these bodies look... ripe," Cloud said, examining the row of cadavers. Many of them, though not all, looked as though they had been exhumed, but for what purpose, he could not tell. "What they hell were they doing here?"

"They weren't curing smallpox, that's for sure," Cid replied. "This was either a torture fest or the world's worst hospital."

"Or perhaps something else.." Cloud said, pointing out another, smaller room at the far end. An operating room, by the look of it. The sign above the room, a recent addition by its appearance, said 'Imprinting Facility'.

"Imprints.." Cloud said, eyeing the sign. He walked towards the operating room, stopping just short of its entrance. The door was locked, but he could see inside through the window next to it. Inside was an operating table and standard medical equipment, as well as some strange machinery that he didn't recognize. The floor was stained with blood, as were the various instruments in use. Whoever had been using them had either left them in a hurry, or otherwise did not care very much about keeping them clean.

"Uh, Cloud?" Cid said.

"What?" Cloud replied, somewhat more irritably than he'd intended. He felt that they were finally nearing the truth, and he didn't much care to be interrupted at the moment.

"_That_," Cid replied, directing his attention away from the operating room, pointing towards one of the demolition charges in the walls. "Is that light supposed to be blinking?"

"Oh, hell.." Cloud said.

"How long do we have?" Cid asked.

"Not long," Cloud replied, examining the explosive ordnance in the wall.

"Care to be more specific than that?" Cid asked.

"Fourteen minutes," Cloud replied. "Maybe."

"How are we gonna get out?" Cid asked. "It's a fucking ant colony down here."

"We need to split up," Cloud said. "You find us a ride. I'll head to the control room, make sure we've got a clear path out of here."

"All right," Cid replied.

"Try to raise Yuffie and Vincent if you can," Cloud added, as the two of them headed back out of the basement.

"Will do," Cid replied as he left.

Cloud gave the imprinting facility one last glance, frustrated that he didn't have time to investigate it further. But being that he and Cid would likely be vaporized within the next few minutes, he had little choice but to tear himself away from the scene. He walked out the door, heading towards the control room above.

* * *

The town was once again blanketed by a snowstorm by the time Yuffie and Vincent made it back. A few minutes longer, and they might have been lost altogether. The heavy wind caused any doors and shutters not nailed to their frames to flail and slam against their hinges. The town might be dead, but the storm was coming alive once more.

"Let's get inside," Vincent said, motioning towards the town hall. Yuffie raised no argument.

They retreated inside the building, shutting and sealing the door behind them. Outside, the wind howled and raged like a thing alive.

Yuffie pressed a finger against her earpiece. "Cloud... Cid... are you there? Can you hear me?" she asked.

"Don't bother," Vincent said. "Between the snowstorm and the tunnels, it'd be a miracle for us to get through to them."

"We can't just leave them down there," Yuffie said. "We have to find them."

"I know, but-" The gunman was interrupted by a loud howling. Not the wind. More wolves, by the sound of it.

"We need to wait for the storm to die down," he told Yuffie.

"We can't wait long," Yuffie replied. "Who knows what's going on down there.."

"Nothing good," Vincent replied, in his usual, morose manner.

* * *

Cloud leaned against the door frame, observing the figure inside the darkened room. A scientist, by the look of it. The man was occupied with speaking to someone on the monitor, who addressed him as 'Virgil'.

"_So... that's the guy pulling the strings,"_ Cloud thought. _"But who's the other figure?"_

"Everything's set," Virgil said. "We're ready to move out."

"Good," the figure on the monitor replied.

Cloud risked peeking a little further, trying to glimpse the other person's features. The figure on the monitor was obscured by the low lighting conditions, but he could just make out its key aspects. Round, wire-frame glasses, dark hair tied into a bedraggled ponytail, and an unkempt lab coat. The eagle-like features of his face and the timbre of his voice left little room for doubt as to the mysterious figure's identity.

"It can't be.." Cloud whispered, activating his comm link. "Cid, are you there?"

"What is it?" Cid replied.

"I just..." Cloud replied, pausing. He wasn't certain whether he was seeing things, or whether he could still trust his senses. "I think I just saw Hojo," he finally said.

"Hojo?" Cid asked. There was a brief pause on the other end. "Fuck me. If that bastard's really alive, then it's a cold day in hell," he replied at last.

"Tell me about it," Cloud said. "How's the ride coming along?"

"I'm in the garage. It looks like most of the Novus people are gone. I'm hot-wiring a truck as we speak. Should be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Any luck raising the others?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing yet," Cid replied.

"Okay. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes," Cloud said. "Just need to take care of the security locks."

Cloud peered into the room once again. The figure in the main monitor was gone, though the other scientist remained. Cloud drew his blade, intending to take him down, but before he could make his move, a soldier came into the room, hurriedly saluting Virgil.

"Sir?" the soldier said.

"What is it?" Virgil demanded.

"It's Magister," the soldier replied. "She's on the loose again."

"Damn it," Virgil said. "I don't need this. Not now. Where is she?"

"Up in the mountains," the soldier replied.

"Go _find_ her, then," Virgil ordered, dismissing the soldier. "Get her on one of the choppers. We'll meet up with you once she's secured."

"Yes, sir," the soldier replied.

"And if you don't find her, don't bother coming back at all," Virgil added, dismissing the soldier, who saluted him once more, before taking off.

"Hojo and Cross are going to go nuts if they find out she's missing.." Virgil muttered, switching the monitor array off, before stalking off through one of the room's numerous exits.

With the coast clear, Cloud decided to move in. He switched the console back on, and set about unlocking the security on any and all doors and sections he could find. As he did, he also attempted to switch off the facility's self-destruct sequence, without any luck. The best he could do was to extract the remaining time on the countdown, which was, as he had suspected, just under fourteen minutes.

"Cid, the doors are unlocked," he said.

"What about the bombs?" Cid asked.

"No luck," Cloud said. "It looks like we've got about twelve minutes left on the clock."

"Great," Cid said. "Well, at least we can dri-" he paused. "Shit, someone's coming."

"Cid?" Cloud asked. There was a brief silence on the other end, before he received an answer.

"Last regiment's shipping out. I had to bail out of the garage. Looks like our ride's a no-go," Cid said.

"We may not need it," Cloud replied, examining the map display on one of the monitors. "The tunnel entrances are open again. There's another vault door not far from where we came in. We can head back to town through there."

"All right, I'm headed for the tunnels, then," Cid said. "You comin'?"

"I just need to take care of one more thing.." Cloud said, watching Virgil on the security monitors.

* * *

Yuffie paced the floor of the town hall, doing her best to keep warm. As she walked back and forth through the building's empty hallways, she couldn't help the feeling that they were being watched.

Vincent stood by one of the windows, keeping watch.

"Anything?" she asked.

"The wolves are gone," Vincent replied.

Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay... we should get back to the chopper.."

"Wait," Vincent said, holding his hand up as he peered out the window. "There's something else approaching."

"What is it?" Yuffie asked.

"...The villagers," Vincent said.

Yuffie moved up next to him, looking out the window. She gasped as the shambling figures emerged from the mist.

"Oh my god.." she said, holding a hand up to her face, watching as the walking corpses of the townspeople edged towards the town hall, coming their way.

As she peered out the window, she heard the clicking of a gun's safety latch being undone.

"'And what it is so terrible that breaks on us asleep, or waking in disease'," Vincent said. "'...until we seem to mark and hear at hand dead men, whose bones earth bosomed long ago'."

The gunman recited the words from memory as he drew his gun, as though by his incantation meaning to rebuke the approaching horrors, or perhaps to steel himself for combat.

"_What_?" Yuffie said. Vincent had to be out of his mind, she thought, to be reciting limericks at a time like this.

"It appears the dead require our assistance in finding their final rest," Vincent said. "Let's not keep them waiting."

* * *

**Author's notes**

This will be the final update for this story, at least for the foreseeable future. I plan to direct my final efforts towards completing 'Through the Ashes of Empires', before going on hiatus. It might seem a bit strange, I know, to update a story only in order to notify everyone not to expect further updates, but I figured that since I had this last chapter, half-written and gathering dust on my hard drive, I might as well put it up.

In conclusion, I would like to thank everyone for reading and commenting on this story, in particular S. Zix for keeping me on my toes. Though I'm usually not fond of backseat writers, it's nice when someone takes one's efforts halfway seriously.

All in all, this story is probably in dire need of a rewrite, which would involve a great deal more effort than I have time for. Although I would very much like to keep working on stories like 'Crimson Fields', 'Only the Shadows' and bunch of other ideas that I've had, I simply haven't the time, and inclination and inspiration aren't always around when I do. I might be willing to hand the reins over to another writer, but I would have to be certain that I'm leaving the story in good hands.

For those interested, Vincent is quoting from 'De Rerum Natura' in the last scene (The former quotation is, of course, drawn from 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner').

Also, before some smart-aleck reader decides to point it out to me, I realize that the feminine form of 'magister' is, technically, 'magistra', but I thought it just didn't sound right.

Well, that's all for now.

Cheers,  
-Outfoxed


	8. Dead Wrong

_Music: Jason Graves – 'In Tents'_

* * *

**Crimson Fields**

**Chapter VIII  
****Dead Wrong**

_Present day - Midgar_

Tifa awoke with a coughing fit, the thick smoke making it difficult for her to see or breathe. Her body was bruised all over, and the only thing that told her she was still alive was the dull ache that she felt throughout her extremities. She couldn't see the others who had been with her, save for the pilot, who remained still in his seat, his skull having been pierced by one of the rotor blades sticking out of the ground.

As she crawled out from under the wreckage, she heard the sound of metal grinding against metal as the upper part of the fuselage dislodged itself, threatening to collapse right on top of her. She turned around, grimacing, struggling to extricate herself from the burning wreckage, but she was stuck. She tried again, pushing herself as hard as she could, but it was no use. It was too painful to move, leaving the lower half of her body caught inside the helicopter's remains, with the tail end looming overhead, seconds away from coming apart.

She closed her eyes, feeling her consciousness slipping away. With a heavy sigh, she laid her head down on the hard asphalt, Vincent's words still ringing in her ears.

_"Cloud is dead."_

_It can't be true_, she thought. How did it all go so wrong? How could they have been taken by surprise like this?

This was it. It was all over. They had let their guard down, as had the rest of the world. It wasn't supposed to end like this. But there was no stopping what was happening. A few more moments, and then..

"Hey, we've got a live one!" someone called. "Over here!"

She felt a hand catch hold of her upper arm, pulling her from the wreckage before the collapsing fuselage sheared her in half. She looked up to see Reno, who was occupied with getting what survivors remained away from the crash site. He helped her back up to her feet, then slung her arm over his shoulder, marching her away from the conflagration. The heel of her right foot burned and stung as she walked, feeling as though it might be broken.

The two of them ducked for shelter behind a concrete wall as the flames reached the black liquid seeping from the fuel tank, slipping behind cover just in time to avoid the shrapnel propelled in their direction by the resulting explosion.

Leaning against the wall, Tifa breathed a sigh of relief. She looked over to where the helicopter platform was, a fair distance away. The attack had knocked them far off course, but they were still somewhere near the centre of the city.

"Here," Reno said, bringing out a restorative materia to clean up the worst of her wounds. "Hold still.."

Her wounds and lacerations healed, and she was able to stand again without wincing. Looking around again, she spotted other people staggering away from the crash site. Barret was busy helping others to reach shelter, while Nanaki darted from one wreckage to another, searching for survivors. In the distance, the colossal monster was still thrashing about, tearing apart everything within its reach.

Despite their momentary reprieve from the inevitable, the situation seemed hopeless. They had survived the crash, but how much longer could any of them last under this kind of brutal onslaught?

As she got her bearings again, a shrill cry echoed throughout the city, piercing the air, so loud that it was painful to hear. She fell to her knees, hands pressed against her ears to block out the sound.

A moment later, the cry faded, and an eerie calm fell over the city. She glanced at the others, before walking out from behind the shelter to see what was happening. The abomination that was levelling the city was still there, but for some reason, it had stopped moving. Its multitude of prehensile arms hung suspended above the city, casting deep shadows, twitching and undulating, as though it were caught in a trance, unable to motivate its own body to further action. Following the utter chaos caused by its sudden appearance, the abeyance of the horror's attack came as more startling than the attack itself.

"What the hell's going on?" Reno asked, coming up next to her.

Without answering, Tifa walked off, heading towards the centre of the city. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to seek out the answers to what was happening, and was convinced that she would find them right within the eye of the storm. She knew that the abomination might resume its attack at any moment, but right now, she didn't care. If this was the day of judgement, then so be it, she thought. She would have her answer before she succumbed to the demands of fate. With that thought in mind, she marched on, growing more determined with each step.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Reno called after her.

She didn't answer or turn back, so he, along with Barret and Nanaki, took off after her, moving against the crowd rushing in the opposite direction.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Just a short update this time around. As I mentioned before, I'd like to keep this story alive, though I've been thinking about restructuring the earlier chapters in order to make it more of a parallel narrative, shifting between past and present. But that would take some time, and right now, I'm dedicating what time I have to write to finish one other story first. That said, there may be more updates for Crimson Fields if anyone's still interested in reading it.

'till the next chapter.

-Outfoxed


	9. Undertow

Music: Bear McCreary - 'One Year Later'

* * *

_"..You'd rather be pulled under by the waves."  
_-Vincent Valentine

**Chapter IX  
****Undertow**

* * *

**Nibelheim - Three weeks before the Collapse**

Cloud knocked on the heavy wooden door. No answer. He knocked again, more firmly this time.

"Vincent, you in there?"

He gave out a long sigh, his breath turning to vapours on the chill wind. Even in the summertime, Nibelheim was deathly cold, and now that the once peaceful hamlet had been all but deserted, the eternal winter that held the tiny village in its grip seemed more entrenched than even he recalled, as though the neighbouring mountain regions were seeking to reclaim it from the human dominance that they had, for a time, permitted to exist.

Cloud shook his head, turning away from the building. It was no use, he decided. There was not a soul in sight. His former home was now little more than a ghost town. He had been across the whole breadth of the village looking for his old acquaintance, and so far his search had yielded no result. There was no-where left to look, save for one house..

_Well, where else would he be?_ Cloud thought, looking over at the old Shinra manor, standing desolate and forlorn at the edge of the town, a bleak house, even among the pale shadows that were once homes to his fellow townspeople. He had a good idea of where he might find the former Turk. The lab. Or rather, the library contained within it. It was the last place he had any mind to look, given his past experiences there. But there was no other option left.

A discomfiting thought crossed his mind as he walked past the gate that separated the manor from the rest of the village. It was eerie just how much Hojo's replica resembled the original. He gave a slight shudder as he considered just how close an eye they must have kept on it, in order to be able to replicate it with such accuracy. He shook his head again as his hometown passed from view behind the tall gates. Better not to dwell on it, he decided.

He pushed the heavy doors open, stepping inside the dusky entrance hall. Being back inside the mansion stirred memories, few of them good. But aside from the impenetrable umbra which seemed to fill every inch of the old house, he found that there was little need to be on his guard. Nothing lurking in the shadows. No apparitions or wraiths, except the ones in his mind.

He headed upstairs, noting that the hidden door leading down to the underground tunnel had been pried open with some force, leaving the entrance to the secret chamber exposed, never to close again. No need to hide it anymore, he figured.

The dust-laden spiral staircase creaked in protest underneath his weight as he made his way down into the secret tunnel. As he wound his way down the crooked staircase, a voice echoed throughout the corridor beneath, as though someone were reciting verses from a book.

"'_And indeed he seems to me  
__scarce other than my king's ideal knight,  
__who reverenced his conscience as his king;  
__whose glory was redressing human wrong;  
__who spake no slander, no, nor listened to it;  
__who loved one only and who clave to her._'"

The narration continued as he passed by the prison cell, entering Hojo's old lab.

"'_Her, over all whose realms to their last isle,  
__commingled with the gloom of imminent war,  
__the shadow of his loss drew like eclipse,  
__darkening the world. We have lost him.  
__He is gone..'_"

The inside of the laboratory was pitch black, except for the room at the far end, where a single lamplight pierced the gloom. He headed towards the light, entering the old library, the soliloquy coming to a halt as he drew nearer to its source.

And there he was. Vincent Valentine, the very picture of repose and carefully cultivated world-weariness. The gunman leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the heavy mahogany desk, a thick, leather-bound book in his hand and a half-empty bottle of claret by his side. He glanced up at Cloud as he entered the small chamber at the far end of the laboratory.

"Do you like it?" he asked. "Tennyson. 'Idylls of the King', second stanza."

"Fascinating," Cloud replied, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door-jamb. "Should have known I'd find you down here with your nose in the books."

"One of life's chief pleasures, I assure you," Vincent replied. "You should try it sometime."

"I'll pass, thanks," Cloud said. "I saw what happened to the last guy who spent all his time down here reading."

There was a brief moment of silence before either of them spoke up again.

"How have you been?" Cloud asked.

"Well enough," Vincent replied. "And you?"

"Just fine," Cloud said, his manner curt as always.

"So.." Vincent said, shutting the book and placing it on the table as he stood up. "What brings you to this corner of the world? I thought you abandoned Nibelheim for good."

"I did."

"And now you're back," Vincent said. "Not for sentimental reasons, I take it?"

"I need your help," Cloud replied.

"Do you, now?" Vincent asked, drawing another book from the shelves, leafing through it with mild interest. "What with?"

"Have you ever heard of a group called 'Novus'?" Cloud asked.

"No," Vincent replied. "Should I have?"

"They're a Shinra revivalist sect," Cloud said, uncrossing his arms as he walked inside the library.

"Another one?" Vincent asked, replacing the book on the shelf before turning to another pile of dusty tomes lying in the corner of the room. "Don't they ever learn?"

"These guys are different," Cloud said. "They're not trying to rally popular support. If anything, they've been going out of their way to stay hidden."

"Well, I see they've failed to elude your attention," Vincent remarked. "The question is... what makes them worthy of it in the first place?"

"I thought you might ask," Cloud said. He removed a small satchel from his shoulder, placing it on top of the desk, and began digging through it.

Setting his books aside, Vincent turned back to his friend, curious to see what he was doing. "Wait... 'Novus', was it? You're not talking about the insurance company, are you?"

"They don't have a name," Cloud replied. "Not really. But yeah, it seems like they're using Novus Vita as a front, so.."

"Some sort of dummy corporation, then?" Vincent asked.

Cloud nodded. "I've only gotten a glance at their operations, but something about them just doesn't add up. For one, it seems like there's a lot more money being filtered through that place than they could possibly be making."

"How do you know about all of this?" Vincent asked.

"I've been tracking their movements," Cloud said, producing a small set of documents and recon photos from the satchel, laying them out on the table. "I first found out about them a few weeks back. They've been raiding old Shinra facilities, gathering weapons and supplies. Mako, too. They've been stockpiling the stuff, gods know what for."

"Nothing good," Vincent said.

"You've got that right," Cloud replied.

"I thought the world's governments forbade the use of Mako after the Meteor crisis," Vincent said.

"They did," Cloud said. "Guess outlaws don't pay much attention to the rules, huh?"

"No, I suppose not," Vincent said. "That aside, though, there aren't any working Mako reactors left, are there?"

"Not that I know of," Cloud replied. "Most of them have been decomissioned by now. Stripped for parts, or just torn down."

"At least there's some sense left in the world," Vincent said. "So, what exactly are they amassing all of this ordnance for?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Cloud said. "The arms and equipment they've collected so far wouldn't be enough to mount a full-scale attack anywhere, but.."

"A coup, perhaps," Vincent suggested.

"Could be," Cloud replied. "We won't know for sure until we get a better look at their operations."

"So, how did you get involved in all of this to begin with?" Vincent asked.

"Been digging around for a while," Cloud said.

"Trying to uproot old Shinra remnants?" Vincent asked. "Isn't it time you let the past rest?"

"Didn't have much choice," Cloud said. "There's too many things they left behind. Too many secrets buried underground. I couldn't just ignore that."

"Perhaps," Vincent replied. "But scavengers and rag-tag mercenary groups raiding Shinra facilities for supplies is hardly anything new. So, why's this one drawn your attention?"

"I got a message," Cloud said.

"A message?" Vincent asked. "From whom?"

"Don't know," Cloud said. "Someone on the inside, maybe. Just said 'Novus Vita, Midgar. Keep digging'."

"Anything else?" Vincent asked.

"'The Collapse is imminent', whatever that means," Cloud said, shrugging.

"Someone could be trying to mislead you," Vincent said.

"No," Cloud shook his head. "These guys are the real deal. So's the informant."

"What makes you so sure?" Vincent asked.

"This," Cloud said, taking a small, metallic object from his pocket and handing it to Vincent. "Recognize it?"

"Hmmm... well, that's certainly one way to extend an invitation," Vincent said, examining the bullet.

"It's not just any bullet," Cloud said. "Take a closer look."

Vincent narrowed his eyes as he held the bullet up to the light, scrutinizing it further. "'Mercury Shot'. Made of special alloy compounds. Upmarket. Extremely expensive to produce."

"And?" Cloud prompted.

"And only ever manufactured by Shinra," Vincent said. "Before the war."

Cloud waited, letting Vincent draw his own conclusions.

"It's a collector's item," Vincent said. "Very rare. A token of status, almost. Would have been favoured among those belonging to Shinra's inner circles.."

"...including Turks," Cloud added.

Vincent gave a sideways glance at his old comrade, uncertain of what to make of his remark. "Well, whoever sent this is serious. We can at least be sure of that," he said, turning the bullet between his fingers, studying it with intent. "This was difficult to come by."

He handed the bullet back to Cloud, then turned his attention to the documents laid out on his desk. "I take it you're bringing Avalanche back together?"

Cloud shook his head. "I want to keep this one tight. More people means more attention."

"Makes sense," Vincent replied, "but if we're planning on journeying half-way across the world, we'll need transport. Have you spoken to Cid?"

Cloud nodded. "He's already on board. But we need someone with your skills. Your technical expertise, and your aim."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Vincent replied. "Before I throw myself headlong into this suicide mission of yours, however, do you mind telling me what it is you expect we'll find? A group of extremists, that much I gathered. But what is that makes this one special?"

"As I said, they're not trying to gain popular support," Cloud said. "Most Shinra revivalist movements scrape together a few uniforms here and there along with some guns and materia, and then make some half-assed attempt at restarting the Mako economy. You and I both know that'll never work."

"True," Vincent replied.

"But these guys... Novus.." Cloud said, wandering about the library as he spoke. "They're different. They're operating in the shadows, working on something. Something big.."

"And you want to go after them," Vincent said.

"Yes."

"And when we find them, what then?"

"We find out what they're up to, and stop them," Cloud said.

"That simple, is it?"

"If we're lucky, yes," Cloud said.

"You say they're a threat," Vincent said, "but, like so many others before them, they may yet prove to be their own undoing. These kinds of movements have a tendency to collapse under their own weight."

"There's no guarantee of that," Cloud replied. "Besides, now's not the time to sit on the sidelines."

"Time is all I have left," Vincent said, casting a sideways glance towards the empty laboratory at the far end of the hall. "I've spoken my piece, and laid my ghosts to rest. I'm a man outside of his time, Cloud. There's nothing left for me out there."

"Come on, Vincent," Cloud said. "You don't really mean that."

"The world keeps turning," Vincent said. "And I am no longer a part of it."

"That doesn't mean you can't try to change things for the better," Cloud said.

"Hmmm... I suppose you have a point," Vincent said, looking back at his friend. "You are certain that these people are a threat? One that's worth going after?"

Cloud nodded. "Are you in?"

"Very well," Vincent said. "You've piqued my interest in your little misadventure. That's not why I'm joining you, though."

"Why, then?" Cloud asked.

"I'd just hate to see.." Vincent trailed off.

"What?"

"No, it's nothing. Never mind," Vincent said, waving off the remainder of the discussion. "Give me a day or so to gather my things, will you?"

"All right," Cloud said. "You can meet me and Cid back in Rocket Town when you're ready. We'll need some time to prepare for our next mission, anyway."

"It take it that it will just be the three of us, then?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah," Cloud replied. "Like I said, it's better if we try not to attract too much attention. Avalanche isn't exactly popular these days."

"So I hear," Vincent said. "Are we still on the Junon military's 'Most Wanted' list?"

Cloud shrugged. "As far as I know. Same with most other law enforcement agencies around the world."

"That figures," Vincent said. "I guess some people will believe whatever they're told."

"It's not like we ever got to tell our side of the story," Cloud replied.

"True," Vincent said. "In any case, it might be better if we stick to some other appellation for the time being. Distance ourselves from Avalanche."

"What did you have in mind?" Cloud asked.

"I'll think of something," Vincent said. The former Turk walked over behind the desk, removing a few items and artefacts from one of the drawers. "You keep in touch with the others?" he asked, glancing up at Cloud as he gathered his belongings.

"Not much," Cloud replied. "Been on the road a lot. You?"

"Not directly, though I do try to keep up with current events as best I can," Vincent replied. "Nanaki relays news to me of our old comrades on occasion, among other things."

"How's he doing?" Cloud asked. "Still working on his planetary studies?"

"Our hirsute companion has moved on to biology, I understand," Vincent said.

"Any particular reason?" Cloud asked.

Vincent gave a small nod. "There is a chance, a slight one, mind you, but a chance, nonetheless, that he may not be the last of his kind, after all."

"Sounds pretty thin, if you ask me," Cloud said.

"A sliver of hope is better than no hope at all, wouldn't you agree?" Vincent replied.

"I suppose," Cloud said. "What about the others?"

"I've not heard much from them," Vincent said. "Most of them have moved on with their lives, I suspect. Reeve, in particular, is getting to be rather difficult to reach these days."

"He's got that company of his," Cloud said. "'Phoenix Incorporated'. Probably stuck in boardroom meetings all day."

"Yes, I expect he's quite busy these days," Vincent said. "I've not heard much from him since we all parted last year."

"Barret still in Corel?" Cloud asked.

"He's moved further south, from what I hear," Vincent said.

"Heading up more construction projects, huh?" Cloud replied. "That's good to hear."

"Agreed," Vincent said. "Too many people still choose a gun over a hammer these days."

Cloud nodded. "What about Yuffie?"

"You haven't heard?" Vincent replied. "The young lady Kisaragi is due to ascend to the throne."

"What about her father?"

"He's in poor health, from what I've gathered," Vincent said. "It won't be long before she gets called upon to take his place."

"It's that serious?" Cloud asked, surprised.

"Looks like it. Our young friend is being groomed for her new role right now, though from what I can tell, she preferred life on the road," Vincent said. "Rather like you."

"Yeah... I guess some things don't change," Cloud said.

"Indeed."

"So... 'Queen Yuffie', is it?" Cloud asked.

"Empress, actually," Vincent replied.

Cloud shook his head, giving a slight chuckle, partly out of amusement and partly out of disbelief. He couldn't quite picture the cheeky young girl assuming such lofty responsibility. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Neither did I," Vincent said. "Do you think she's up to the challenge?"

"Hell if I know," Cloud replied, shrugging. "The last time I saw her, she could barely sit still for two seconds."

"You'd be surprised," Vincent said. "She's grown up a little since then."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Cloud said.

"That might be a while yet," Vincent said. "There are more... troublesome news from that region of the world."

"Such as?" Cloud asked.

"For one, there's growing civil unrest in the country," Vincent said, "and some of the more intransigent political elements are clamouring for revenge."

"Revenge?" Cloud asked, puzzled. "For what?"

"The war with Shinra, of course," Vincent replied.

"But Shinra is gone," Cloud said.

"You just told me you were hunting down their remnants," Vincent replied.

"That's different," Cloud said. "We're not talking about ordinary civilians here. The group I'm after is dangerous. But this... they'd be taking their anger out on the wrong people."

"Ever the case with those blinded by anger, or grief," Vincent said. "Some transgressions are difficult to forgive. You, of all people, should know that."

"You think they'd really do it?" Cloud asked. "Invade the Eastern Continent?"

"Who's to say?" Vincent replied. "The fact remains that they've amassed the world's largest standing army. And with no-one to keep them in check.."

"Yuffie and her father won't stand for it," Cloud said.

"That's true," Vincent said, "but it might be possible for the ministers to form an alliance and bypass the emperor's authority."

"I thought the emperor was the absolute ruler," Cloud said.

"Technically, he is," Vincent replied. "But even a powerful ruler does not lead a nation alone. Wutai's ministers hold a great deal of power, more than you might think. If enough of them banded together, they could overthrow the current government entirely."

"It sounds like Yuffie's got her hands full, then," Cloud said.

"Indeed," Vincent said. "I just hope she can handle the pressures of rulership, for her country's sake."

"Not to mention the rest of the world," Cloud said.

"Quite."

"Well.. I guess that covers just about everyone," Cloud said. "Like you said, they've moved on. It's probably for the better if they stay out of this, anyway."

Vincent nodded, then turned his attention back to the intelligence reports scattered across his desk. "How's Tifa?" he asked, in an innocuous, almost offhand manner as he perused the documents and photos.

"She's fine..." Cloud replied, "..I think."

Vincent paused, noting the hesitant tone in Cloud's voice. He looked up at his friend, awaiting a further explanation.

"I... haven't seen her in a while," Cloud admitted. He turned away from Vincent's questioning gaze, growing vexed by the look of disapproval that his friend was giving him. Even with half his face hidden underneath his heavy cloak, it was easy to see the subtle change in demeanor which this revelation instilled in the former Turk.

"The one bright spot in your life, and you walked out on her?" Vincent asked.

"Don't start with the lectures, Vincent," Cloud replied. "It doesn't suit you."

"Did you have a falling out?" Vincent asked, drawing nearer to his friend.

"Not exactly," Cloud replied. "It's complicated."

He turned away again. Vincent could tell that he was anxious to quash this particular discussion, and decided not to press the matter further. "Very well," he replied, easing up. "I'll not pry into it anymore. It's between you and her."

Cloud looked up at his old friend again. Although he wouldn't say it, the look on his face told Vincent that he was grateful for his display of tact and consideration.

"For what it's worth, though, I think you should have a word with her," Vincent said, placing a hand on Cloud's arm. "Try to make amends."

"When the time is right," Cloud said. "The truth is... I didn't want her to get dragged into this, you know?"

Vincent shook his head and sighed. "You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"I guess not," Cloud said. "So, can I count on your support?"

Vincent nodded. "I've believe I've wasted enough hours in idle leisure."

So saying, he walked back behind the desk, removing a few more pieces of equipment from its drawers and arranging them atop the pile of documents. "I am curious about something, though," he added, after a moment.

"What?"

"You say you're after this 'Novus' group," Vincent said. "Is that all this is?"

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

"Are you sure you're not still out for revenge?" Vincent asked.

"...What are you talking about?" Cloud replied, growing defensive at Vincent's line of questioning.

"The ribbon," Vincent said, indicating Cloud's left arm. "_Her_ ribbon. You still wear it, don't you?"

Almost by instinct, Cloud's hand went up to the long, black sleeve covering his left arm. The sleeve concealed two things: The dagger that he kept hidden away for close encounters, and Aerith's ribbon, tied around his upper arm. The last Cetra had left no photographs of herself, no mementos. Her ribbon was the only thing that he had to remember her by. Nearly three years had passed since that fateful day at the lost city, and he still couldn't bring himself to let go of it.

Vincent shook his head, though whether out of amusement or pity, he couldn't tell. "You truly haven't changed."

"Look who's talking," Cloud retorted, indicating the former Turk's garb. Long after their last encounter with their mutual nemesis, he'd found him almost the same as when they had last parted. Despite the passage of nearly three years, Vincent remained attached to the exact same place, demeanour and apparel as those of their first meeting, looking as though time had stood still for him ever since.

"Touché," Vincent replied. "Well, we both have a long way to go. I'd best get started."

"Look on the bright side," Cloud said. "At least we're headed out of the cold."

"Yes..." Vincent heaved a sigh as he looked up towards the crumbling, cobwebbed rafters above them. "I never did understand why anyone would want to live here."

"That makes two of us," Cloud said. "I'll see you soon," he added, turning to leave.

"...She loved you, you know."

Vincent's sudden remark caused Cloud to halt in the doorway. He half-turned, looking over his shoulder. They both knew that he was intentionally violating an old, unspoken taboo, one that had existed between all the different members of Avalanche for years. It was not something that had ever been decided upon. It had simply evolved as time passed. Ever since Aerith's departure, the others noticed that, at the mere mention of her name, Cloud would become quieter than usual, more withdrawn. Any reminder of his failure to protect her had that effect on him. After a while, they avoided discussing her at all, at least in his presence, electing to keep a respectful distance from the topic of her untimely death. As such, there could be no doubt that Vincent knew exactly what he was doing. What puzzled Cloud was why he would bring up the subject at a time like this.

"What-"

The gunman interrupted him before he could reply.

"She confided as much in me. Or she might have, had she lived long enough to do so. The truth of it was obvious enough to anyone observing the two of you from the outside."

He took a step closer, looking his friend in the eye as he spoke.

"She loved you," Vincent said. "But she's gone now, and there's nothing we can do to change that."

Cloud turned away. Well-meaning though his friend's words might be, they only served to twist the knife, and dig away at old scars, long healed, or so he had thought. He looked back over to Vincent, intending to say something in turn, but it was as though the former Turk were reading the question in his eyes before it was ever voiced.

"Sometimes you have to let go, no matter how hard it seems," Vincent said. "She wouldn't blame you for moving on. If anything, she would probably be happy for you."

Cloud scowled. He wasn't in the mood for lectures or advice. "The 'happily-ever-afters' can wait. This is more important right now."

"You really think so?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah... I do."

The gunman shook his head. "It's not healthy to spend all your time chasing after shadows and chimeras. There comes a time when one has to stop running away from reality, and accept it for what it is."

"Who said I'm running?" Cloud asked.

"No-one," Vincent said. "But your behaviour suggests as much. It's something I fail to understand about you. You still have a chance at happiness, yet you seem to go out of your way to avoid it. Why is that, I wonder? It's as though you'd rather be pulled under by the waves. I get the feeling that if you keep going this way, you'll get exactly what you're wishing for."

"What are you s-"

"I'm saying there's more to life than petty revenge," Vincent said, closing the distance between them once more, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It's not about revenge, Vincent," Cloud replied. "We can't stop until Shinra is truly dead and buried. You know that as well as I do."

"Be that as it may, you need something else to live for besides enmity," Vincent said. "Let's say we do bring down this Novus group. What then? Doing so won't change what happened, and it won't make you whole."

Vincent looked away for a moment, eyeing something buried underneath the surveillance photographs and files. A crumpled, black-and-white photograph of Lucrecia. The picture was out of focus, and taken at some distance, it seemed. "Believe me, I know."

"We can't let the past rest. Not just yet," Cloud said. The tone of his voice made it clear that the discussion was over. His mind was made up, and there was nothing further to be said. "Cid and I are headed for Midgar. Whether or not you join us is up to you."

"Very well," Vincent said. "We'll do things your way, for now."

"Good. I'll see you in Rocket Town," Cloud said, heading towards the exit. He paused for a second, tossing something over his shoulder as he left. "You can keep the bullet."

Vincent caught the tiny metal object in his hand. Casting one last glance at Cloud as he headed back outside, he looked the over bullet by the dim lamplight for a brief moment, before taking his seat again, resuming his reading from a different page. Once again, his recitation rang out through the narrow corridors of the basement as his friend returned from the gloom of the mansion and strode back out into the light.

_"But thou and I have shaken hands,  
__'till growing winters lay me low;  
__My paths are in the fields I know.  
__and thine in undiscover'd lands."_

* * *

**Author's notes**

This chapter's been languishing on my hard drive for a while, half-finished. I finally had some spare time to write, so I figured I might as well put it up now. I'd toyed with the idea of making this part of a stand-alone prologue to Crimson Fields, but since we're already jumping back and forth across the timeline, I decided that it would be better to put it in the main story's body instead.

Not sure exactly when the next update is coming, but it might have to wait until TTAOE is finished, which will be a while yet.

Until next time.


End file.
